Sean Hayes and So Young Yoon appeared on CTV in a criminal matter in Korea, which IPG Legal is assisting with on a reduced-fee basis, as we believe is part of our duty to the Korean legal system and expats in Korea. For additional articles on Korean Criminal Law, please see: IPG Legal’s Criminal Law Archive.

Her lawyers argue Parks was unknowingly manipulated into transporting the drugs by someone she believed she was in a relationship with online.

“We genuinely believe that No. 1, she didn’t know what was in the packages (and) No. 2, that she was a victim here,” Hayes told CTV News.

According to her legal team, Parks traveled from Vancouver to meet the man she believed she was in love with. Along the way, she was allegedly instructed to pick up a suitcase in South Africa before continuing to South Korea.

Parks is deaf, which has made communication with authorities and her legal team more challenging. Her South Korean lawyer said she has also had to come to grips with the fact that the man of her dreams turned out to be a stranger using her to transport drugs.

“She had a difficult time processing the whole situation,” said Soyoung Yoon. “She was very emotional and sad.”

Hayes says South Korean jails are generally safe, but the conditions can be challenging.

“They’re sometimes in the winter, colder places than what you should expect, so (Parks) does have supplemental clothing. The food is far from ideal. The food is very basic food, but she can substitute with bought food, and she does, we have put money in her prison bank account.”

For the full article, please see: How a B.C. romance scam victim is coping behind bars in South Korea as trial approaches.

by Sean Hayes

Sean Hayes is the first non-Korean attorney to have worked for the Korean court system (the Constitutional Court of Korea) and one of the first non-Koreans to serve as a regular member of a Korean law faculty. Sean is ranked among the few non-Korean lawyers in Korea as a Top Attorney by AsiaLaw. Sean is regularly quoted by leading international media sources, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, France 24, and Bloomberg.

IPG Legal is consistently ranked a Top Dispute Resolution Law Firm for our litigation, arbitration, and mediation services, and IPG Legal is consistently rated a top-tier law firm in corporate law, litigation, arbitration, franchise law, distribution law, estate law, family law, employment & labor law, and criminal defense.

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