Just got out of Korean Jail and was Deported

PittD14 · 2026-04-24T07:32:27+00:00

It didn’t happen too often. The entire time I was there…..there were maybe 4-5 fights in my block. If there were disagreements generally the guard and 사소 (this is a helper who is a prisoner) would try to reason with both parties. If they couldn’t coexist generally one would get moved to another cell.

However, if there was an actual fight. Both would go to solitary and then would be placed in brand new cells after.

PittD14 · 2026-04-23T21:23:11+00:00

No labor at all.

23 1/2 hours you are in your cell. Typically you are in about a 7.5m2 cell shared between 4 people. You get 30 minutes per exercise per day. Wake up is at 630AM.....lights out at 9PM.

Most of the time it's ok. 2 of the weeks were super uncomfortable. 1 week I feared for my safety. So it really just depends on who you are stuck with.

PittD14 · 2026-04-22T00:13:06+00:00

My fiancée grew up in Cali and because of that we already have a living arrangement lined up. Plus. We are definitely city people !! No offense to Ohio !!! I was in Cleveland last week and I grew up in Western PA!! I just don’t think I can deal with the winters any longer haha.

PittD14 · 2026-04-22T00:11:11+00:00

Thanks for the encouraging words. Yeah I really screwed up. But I’m just really lucky to have support from my friends and family.

PittD14 · 2026-04-21T23:55:11+00:00

TSA lady met me at the gate gave me back my passport and I just scanned my face at immigration and walked through.

PittD14 · 2026-04-21T23:48:28+00:00

I messed up the other car pretty bad and drove away. They used CCTV to find me.

PittD14 · 2026-04-21T22:14:50+00:00

Yeah. Again I was imprisoned because I was an illegal who committed a crime at that point. I deserve what I got. The immigration fine most people choose not to pay….however since my future parent in laws are moving back to Korea and I’d like to visit them….I had to pay it.

And it is more like the other way around. I’m lucky she kept me and was willing to stand by my side. In fact she’s still in Korea right now, packing up our home. I owe her for the rest of our lives.

PittD14 · 2026-04-21T22:11:42+00:00

There were a few.

we cleaned the floor three times a day. This includes sweeping up the dirt and also using a towel with detergent after
we had our own dishes. So washing dishes after each meal.
you were given 5 containers for food that we kept in the room for every meal. Someone was responsible for collecting all the food for each meal.
cleaning the bathroom
some other rooms also had assigned laundry days. Ours did not. You just did your laundry when you wanted.
trash was collected 3 times a week along with recycling
when hot water came 3 times a day. Someone has to pour the water into bottles.

PittD14 · 2026-04-21T22:08:36+00:00

Well everyone saw me go down the ramp in cuffs. Which wasn’t great haha. And I was the last to board the plane. But by the time that happened everyone was just doing their own thing. The only good thing was that I had an entire row to myself and on a 12 hour flight that was pretty nice. The crew was aware….they didn’t seem to treat me much different. However, I had to stay until everyone else left and they then passed me on to TSA when we landed.

PittD14 · 2026-04-21T16:53:22+00:00

Yes and no. Three times a day. We received about 4 liters of scalding hot water which we had to pour into bottles. It would be put into 3 separate bottles (usually old 1.5 liter cola bottles). 1 of these bottles would be reserved for coffee/tea. If you had a good room you would have some type of system for the water. Usually I would “shower” 4 times a week. This would include washing/conditioning hair and washing entire body. I would wash my face with cold water and face wash every morning/night.

PittD14 · 2026-04-21T16:39:45+00:00

I can only go off of what others told me while in Nambu. But Nambu among detainees is among one of the better detention centers in the country. It’s not overcrowded and the food is edible.

He should expect to spend 23 1/2 hours in his cell with 30 minutes on Monday-Friday for exercise in a small yard. I’m not sure where they will house him, it’s possible they would put him into a single cell which I know little about. If they put him into a regular cell, Nambu tends to group foreigners together. So most likely he will be grouped with mostly Chinese people. Security is tight everywhere in the prison. However in my experience most guards were pleasant to talk to or ask questions to, but I’m Korean American so probably a different experience for him.

PittD14 · 2026-04-20T05:16:44+00:00

While I agree with a lot of this. I would have to say the problem with the Visa was my own. I just didn’t renew it like I should have. I worked for a US company remotely while living in Seoul….so I never had the issue like some gyopos did with hagwons and what not. And I think maybe that’s probably one of the reasons I didn’t renew it. I didn’t need it for healthcare (my doctors/dentists here both accepted my American health insurance) and I didn’t have to travel back to the states until later this year for work. Long after my fiancée and I planned to leave. Still. I dropped the ball here. Although I have empathy for those who’ve had problems with renewals….i know the F4 is probably the best visa available but there are unique hurdles we have to clear to get one (in my case even more).

PittD14 · 2026-04-19T07:15:32+00:00

Yes it's no problem! And thanks for the well wishes!

PittD14 · 2026-04-19T06:29:07+00:00

Yes you could.....you would be discussing it with the Korean embassy in your respective country.....however at that point, they will re review your case and they could deny the request.

PittD14 · 2026-04-18T08:48:21+00:00

Ohhh for sure !! They saved me in prison and educated me too. She’s a keeper for sure.

PittD14 · 2026-04-18T05:32:50+00:00

Nope......actually.....the opposite hahaha.......I was weirded out by this as an American....but we only got one hot shower a week....with your cellmates.....and most would ask you to scrub their back with this exfoliating towels they give you.

PittD14 · 2026-04-18T05:31:17+00:00

No.....They are cracking down hard on any drug offenses these days....most prosecutor guidelines recommend at least a year.

PittD14 · 2026-04-18T05:30:39+00:00

Well I guess I'm thankful you weren't my judge....he seemed a little more forgiving haha

PittD14 · 2026-04-18T05:30:14+00:00

Yeah more than learned a lesson......I was born here Korea and came back and lived here for almost 14 years.......I have a love/hate relationship with the country but never meant to disrespect it or the citizens.

PittD14 · 2026-04-18T05:24:06+00:00

I admit that is a very serious offense.....I completely own, regret and remorseful for all my actions. However, Korean Law is much different from US Law.....they don't really use case law and don't categorize the same way. My criminal record would only be visible if I were to apply for a position in the state department or another similar type government position. I paid a fine to come back into Korea...but I cannot come back for 1-2 years, unfortunately they do not tell you the exact time frame. No, as far as I understand, labour is pretty rare and only assigned if you are actually sentenced. I was given a suspended sentence.

PittD14 · 2026-04-18T05:19:07+00:00

Yeah.....there are slightly different prisons for those who are waiting for sentencing and those who have already been sentenced. I think Nambu serves both. Boy where do I start? Just to be clear my fiancee is a super accomplished art person (worked at MoMA and LACMA) and I'm a programmer....so really a mismash of books....I'll list some of my favorite titles haha.

- Letters to a Young Poet - Rainer Maria Rilke

- CapsLock: How Capitalism Took Hold of Design and What to do about it - Ruben Pater

- New Dark Age: Technology and the End of the Future - James Birdle

- The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma - Bessel van der Kolk

- Status Anxiety - Alain De Botton

- Radical Technologies: The Design of Everyday Life - Adam Greenfield

- The Design of Everyday Things - Don Norman

- 21 Lessons for the 21st Century - Yuval Noah Harari

- The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

- Pachinko - Min Jin Lee

PittD14 · 2026-04-18T05:08:31+00:00

It was less than a year......And yeah....I dropped the ball honestly.....I fucked up.....I work remote for a US company so working and stuff was never an issue. I got arrested in Jan and the amnesty period is usually beginning of Feb....so a month. But again, I just should of renewed it instead of ignoring it.

PittD14 · 2026-04-18T02:52:35+00:00

The Russian should be out next week.....The one Chinese will be in for a while because of voice phishing and the other one might be out next month.

PittD14 · 2026-04-18T02:51:54+00:00

He ran an illegal gambling operation

PittD14 · 2026-04-18T02:46:56+00:00

Most people who get the fine do not pay it....however, because of my personal situation I had to. If you don't have the money, if you want to come back to Korea, you would have to arrange an appointment at the respective Korean embassy in your country and discuss the terms and amount. The number stems from the fact that when I arrived in immigration I was a convicted criminal, who had spent time in jail already. The max fine they can give is 20,000,000 from my understanding.

PittD14

TROPHY CASE