Lost in translation? Court interpreters navigate justice for foreign defendants in Korea

Court interpreter Han Woo-suk still remembers walking into a courtroom in 2025 to interpret for a Thai woman accused of smuggling drugs into South Korea. “I have interpreted in many drug cases involving Thai nationals, and most of the defendants were undocumented immigrants,” Han said. “But this woman was married to a Korean citizen and had a child diagnosed with developmental disabilities.” According to Han, the woman insisted she had no intention of breaking the law. She had imported and sold

By The Korea Herald