Press Coverage

Keynote lecture on ‘ESG Control Tower, Creating an ESG Nation’ at the National Assembly Korea ESG Management Innovation Forum on the 21st Park Hee-jung, Head of Legislative Policy Division at Daeryun Law Firm (ESG Chairperson of the Korea Mediation Association, a subsidiary of the National Assembly Secretariat) gave a keynote lecture on the topic of ‘ESG Control Tower, Creating an ESG Nation’ at the ‘3rd Korea ESG Management Innovation Forum’ held in the first conference room of the National Assembly Building on February 21. Director Park defined the spirit of ESG as “consideration for others, and the restoration of publicness and dignity, sustainability, and free market economy combined as an advanced form of publicness, or ESG.” He also defined, “ESG is a summary of the current spirit of the times, such as polarization of inequality, low birth rate, super-aging, climate crisis, disappearance of rural areas, housing jobs, and integration of communication.” He also added, “Even if ESG is retreating in the United States, financial institutions and companies around the world have already standardized and legislated ESG.” “We cannot change the major trend that is underway and is being strengthened,” he explained. At the same time, he mentioned the importance of the role of the National Assembly's legislative policy and the need for government regulation and ESG activities in the private sector, and introduced various initiatives, consultative bodies, and international standards such as ISO. Director Park emphasized the ‘ESG economic ecosystem created by the power of finance’ and presented an ESG national strategy to strengthen national competitiveness while criticizing the ESG social contribution activities of the domestic financial sector. In addition, he led an in-depth discussion on the necessity of ESG management and the direction of policy support, and presented a strategic direction for sustainable ESG policy. Meanwhile, Hee-jung Park, head of the Legislative Policy Division at Daeryun Law Firm, graduated from Duke University Law School and the University of Washington Law School in the United States, and has worked in various fields, including a domestic consulting firm, the office of the president of the World Federation of United Nations Associations, and the office of the chairman of the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee and the office of the chairman of the Public Administration and Security Committee. Known as the top expert in ESG. Reporter Park Young-bok[View full article] Park Hee-jeong, Head of Legislative Policy Division at Daeryun Law Firm, said, “ESG, the role of National Assembly legislative policy, government regulation, and ESG activities in the private sector are necessary” (link)

Recruitment of Yoon Ja-young, Oh Sang-wook, Lee Ji-won, Yeo Yeo Yeo-young, Jeong Chang-min, and Kang Seong-kwon... Equipped with strong manpower to prevent and respond to legal risks in the areas of taxation, administration, and civil litigation. Providing strategies for each type, such as customs investigation and violation investigation... Daeryun Law Firm's Tax Administration Group (CEOs Kuk-il Kim and Byeong-jun Ko), which collaborates with experts such as accountants and tax accountants, has begun to reorganize its system to expand services, including recruiting experienced experts from the Seoul Regional Tax Office and taxation firms. Daeryun plans to provide strategies for each type of customs investigation, violation investigation, etc. based on a systematic system and manpower. The Tax Administration Group has deployed personnel in the right place to enable preemptive response. In particular, appropriate members are assigned to each case to provide customized strategies for each tax and administrative field. This is evaluated as further enhancing professionalism and systematicity in that it can respond flexibly as needed. A Daeryun official said, "Due to the nature of tax cases, experts such as tax accountants and accountants in addition to lawyers must collaborate to lead the case, and we have strengthened the system so that the case can proceed quickly from diagnosis to completion through an efficient organizational structure." The group has experts recognized for taxation, taxation, and administrative capabilities. It's crowded. The group is led by Kwak Nae-won (Judicial Research and Training Institute 25th class), head of the tax administration group. He was in charge of tax and administrative litigation at the Seoul Administrative Court, and while working as a lawyer, he has corrected errors in response to illegal dispositions by administrative authorities, such as lawsuits for cancellation of facility charge impositions, lawsuits for cancellation of gift tax impositions, and lawsuits for cancellation of notices of disallowance of development activities. Members specializing in the field of taxation include litigation and advisory services for administrative and public institutions such as the Tax Credit Guarantee Fund and Busan Credit Guarantee Foundation, and have served as external members. Dae-su Kim (38th class), In-ho Jeong (35th class), who completed the Tax Training Institute of the Seoul Regional Bar Association and is active as a tax lawyer, Yu-jung Kim, who has outstanding abilities in the field of tax litigation, including performing numerous litigation representation work for the National Tax Service, and Mun-yong Lee, a lawyer who holds a paralegal qualification and is excellent in financial legal affairs and tax litigation. Recently, the company has further strengthened its response capabilities by hiring attorney Ja-young Yoon. Attorney Yoon, a tax lawyer registered with the Korean Bar Association, has accumulated extensive experience providing tax legal advice to numerous public institutions and companies, including Korea Trade Insurance Corporation, Korea National Oil Corporation, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, NH Nonghyup Bank, and Shinhan Life Insurance. The administrative field has been further organized by adding new members. The work will be led by attorney Lim Ha-yeon, who worked at the National Tax Service and has experience handling numerous cases including national tax collection and tax investigations, and attorneys Sang-wook Oh, Ji-won Lee, Yeo Yeo Yeo-young, Chang-min Jeong, and Seong-kwon Kang, who joined this year. Attorney Oh has experience working at each local tax office and tax firm. He has worked as a public interest legal officer at the Korea Legal Aid Corporation and the Daejeon Regional Correctional Service and has handled various administrative litigation and administrative trials. Attorney Lee Ji-won specializes in administrative litigation based on his experience in handling various administrative sanctions-related litigation, including construction-related administrative litigation, civil servant disciplinary action, and cancellation of state property restoration orders and business licenses. Attorney Yeo Yeo-young has handled numerous administrative cases while working in the Administrative Litigation Division and Legal Review Office of the Ministry of Justice. Attorney Chang-min Jeong has expertise in the administrative field by handling numerous administrative lawsuits, including lawsuits for cancellation of disapproval of medical care benefits for occupational accidents. Attorney Seong-kwon Kang, who holds a tax accountant qualification, has experience working at the 4th Investigation Department of the Seoul Regional Tax Office and the Seocho Tax Office, so he is able to smoothly handle work in major areas of national tax administration. In addition to tax advice, the group plans to provide optimal solutions for legal disputes in all areas of tax administration, including tax dispute litigation and response to tax investigations. Group leader Kwak Nae-won said, "We will be able to further increase the group's competitiveness by recruiting lawyers in fields such as taxation and administration." “I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “We plan to continue to secure outstanding talent and upgrade our systems.” He continued, "We will quickly respond to the complex tax administration issues facing companies by reviewing the facts and legal principles from the initial stage with the group's lawyers and the corporation's certified public accountants, tax accountants, labor attorneys, and customs experts." Reporter Kihyun Hwang (kihyun@dailian.co.kr)[View full article] Dailyan - Daeryun Law Firm Strengthens Tax Administration Group... Recruitment of a large number of experienced experts from the National Tax Service and taxation firms (click here) Korea Economic Daily TV - Daeryun, recruiting a large number of experienced experts from the National Tax Service and taxation firms (Go here) Sejeong Ilbo - Daeryun Law Firm has recruited a large number of lawyers with experience in national tax administration... Strengthening Tax Group (Go here) Tax Finance News - Daeryun Tax Administration Group has recruited a large number of experts from the National Tax Service and taxation firms (Go here) Tax Ilbo - Daeryun Law Firm recruits a large number of experts from the National Tax Service and taxation firms... Strengthening the Tax Administration Group (Go here) International News - Daeryun Law Firm significantly strengthens its tax administration group... Recruitment of a large number of experts from the National Tax Service and tax corporations (click here)

Daeryun Corporate Law Group, a law firm that responds to all legal disputes that may arise during business expansion and cooperates with experts in various fields within the corporate legal group, announced on the 15th that it has signed an MOU with comprehensive cosmetics company Farmairs. The signing ceremony held at Farmairs headquarters on the 8th was attended by Daeryun CEO Kim Kuk-il, Corporate Law Group Head Son Gye-jun, Farmairs CEO Jang Yun-seong, and Vice President Yoon Young-hwa, etc. Farmairs distribution platform established in 2019. It has solidified its position in the domestic cosmetics industry by operating ‘Pharmestetics’ and cosmetic brands ‘Konapidil’ and ‘Vivan Quantmanca’. In particular, Pharmestetic is a premium cosmetics distribution platform that has established itself as a channel that has innovatively changed the distribution method used in the cosmetics industry. As a result of diversifying its business areas, including cosmetic brand consulting and in-house brand development, it recorded sales of more than 50 billion won last year. Through this agreement, Daeryun Corporate Law Group plans to provide prompt support for legal disputes that may arise in Farmears' global business expansion. Specifically, we plan to provide professional legal services such as △advice on investment and import/export △response to international laws and regulations △review of legal issues related to seller contracts within the platform △pre-inspection of product promotions and advertisements △quick response in case of disputes. Jang Yun-seong, CEO of Farmairs, said, “As the cosmetics business grew, I had a lot of concerns as various disputes were increasing. I am glad to be able to receive legal help in various areas, especially starting this year.” “We are targeting the market, so there are more things to worry about as we plan to expand the service sector, and thanks to this agreement, we can ease our worries,” said Daeryun Kim, CEO of Daeryun Kim, who said, “This is a great opportunity to enter into a cooperative relationship with Farmairs, which is actively expanding into the global market. We will provide detailed support in all aspects to help K-Beauty expand globally.” He added, “There are many experts in international disputes, including lawyers and accountants, in the corporate law group. In such cases, various procedures must be followed, and legal standards differ from country to country, which often leads to long-term battles. In this case, we plan to deploy experts appropriate for the procedures to help ensure a quick and efficient response as possible.” Meanwhile, Daeryun Corporate Legal Group presents strategies tailored to each company’s situation, including corporate advisory, asset management, human resources and labor, management rights disputes, M&A, and AI/IT. Reporter Cheon Ju-young (young1997@mydaily.co.kr)[View full article] My Daily - Daeryun Law Firm Signs MOU with Farmairs “Strengthening Global Market Competitiveness” (Click here) International News - Pharmaus signs business agreement (MOU) with Daeryun Law Firm (Go here) Youth Union - Farmairs signs MOU with Daeryun Law Firm... Strengthening legal support for global expansion and domestic business (click here)

Gang members who committed voice phishing crimes by impersonating prosecutors and the Financial Supervisory Service were handed over to trial and sentenced to heavy sentences. According to the legal community on the 15th, the 1st Criminal Division of the Cheonan Branch of the Daejeon District Court sentenced Mr. An additional collection order of 50 million won was ordered. Mr. A and others have been working as members of an overseas voice phishing organization since 2017, and are accused of swindling a total of 120 billion won from about 1,800 victims, including Mr. B. They are believed to have taken on various roles, from operators who recruit cash collection agents within the organization and instruct them to commit crimes, to call center counselors impersonating prosecutors, the Financial Supervisory Service, etc. It was revealed that the organization was operated by distributing the proceeds of crime earned through criminal group activities to the members according to their performance and contribution. Victims including Mr. B submitted a petition calling for severe punishment for the defendants. The court sentenced Mr. A and the gang members to heavy sentences. The court said, "The scale of damage caused by the crime in this case is enormous. In addition, no damage has been recovered to date, and it is difficult to expect recovery in the future." “Heavy punishment commensurate with the guilt is inevitable,” he said. Lawyer Daeryun Yoon, who represented victim B, said, “The defendants thoroughly divided their roles to carry out the voice phishing crime organically. Based on the database of victims, they impersonated prosecutors and investigators and committed the crime so cleverly that they had no choice but to deliver money.” He added, “Some of the defendants were active for more than six years, and these organizations created thousands of victims over a long period of time. He pointed out, "The victims, including Mr. B, are spending days of self-blame and regret due to their crimes," and added, "The fact that they continued their activities without a sense of guilt and that no effort was made to recover the damage suffered by the victims was accepted by the court and resulted in a heavy sentence." Reporter Ko Young-min (youngman@ikbc.co.kr)[View full article] Extorted 120 billion won by impersonating prosecutors... Voice phishing gang member sentenced to 17 years in prison (link)

The public's gaze is becoming colder as the controversy over the age of 19 related to male celebrities' SNS is repeated. On the 13th, actor Nam Yoon-soo was criticized for reposting a post on his social media (SNS) account containing an inflatable structure with a woman's important parts clearly visible. Nam Yoon-soo explained through a fan communication platform, "I was driving. What is the repost? Did I get hacked?" Nevertheless, as the controversy did not die down, Nam Yoon-soo apologized on social media, saying, "Today, I belatedly confirmed that an unpleasant post had been reposted without my knowledge. I am upset and sincerely sorry for causing inconvenience to many people. I will be more careful in the future." As many male celebrities have previously received a lot of criticism for uploading posts or participating in voting under the age of 19, it seems inevitable that Nam Yoon-soo will also suffer damage to his image. Last December, actor Park Sung-hoon caused a lot of shock when he uploaded and deleted a Japanese AV cover parodying 'Squid Game' on social media. The agency explained, “The actor uploaded it by mistake while checking the DM (direct message) window, and since many messages related to the photo were received, he tried to share it on the company account to raise awareness of the problem.” However, despite the agency’s quick explanation, criticism still poured in, and he eventually had to withdraw from his next work, ‘The Tyrant’s Chef.’ Meanwhile, actor Kim Seong-cheol was embroiled in a sexual harassment controversy last February when he participated in a vote on liking or disliking girl group members on an account that uploaded provocative girl group-related content. The account was dealing with problematic content, such as posting a slow video highlighting a specific member's body part, and netizens criticized it, saying, "I don't understand why the official account participated in such a vote." In response, the agency Story J Company responded by saying, "We didn't know it was a controversial account and canceled it immediately after learning about it." The public, especially female fans, are concerned that celebrities they support and support are involved in or inadvertently share content that sexualizes women's bodies. When you see this, rather than accepting it as a simple mistake, you may feel a strong sense of betrayal and discomfort. Also, there is a problem with dismissing all of these incidents as a ‘mistake’. In particular, there is a possibility that posts shared by them by mistake may face legal problems. Attorney Kim Dong-jin of Daeryun Law Firm said, “The mere act of posting (pornography) on SNS that can be viewed by an unspecified number of people can be punished under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc. (Article 44-7). Depending on the purpose of the act and the extent of the case, the Special Act on Punishment of Sexual Crimes, etc. (Article 13) “There is a possibility of being punished,” he said. However, in the cases in question, they claim it was a “simple mistake,” so he said, “In order to be legally punished, a process of proving intent is first necessary.” Even if immediate legal punishment was avoided, the mere fact of posting pornography on SNS where everyone can see it can have a negative impact on society. Cultural critic Ha Jae-geun said, “Depending on the intention, it will be divided whether the act is wrong or not, but the result is the image of a ‘19+.’ “Because of this, it can have a negative impact on the general public and especially teenagers,” he said. “Celebrities need to be responsible when managing and posting on SNS.” In this way, personal space called SNS can sometimes become a harsh verification stand for the public. Celebrities who work based on public trust seem to need more careful management and responsibility. Online Reporter Lee Min-joo (leemj@kyunghyang.com)[View full article] Park Seong-hoon → Nam Yun-soo, a series of male actors ‘posting pornography’… What is the possibility of punishment? [Science X Issue] (Shortcut)

The court said, “It was accessed to revoke privileges... It is not a transferred material or a trade secret material.” A consulting company filed a request for a provisional injunction against an employee suspected of leaking trade secrets, but the court did not accept it. The 60th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court dismissed the application for a provisional injunction, including a ban on trade secret infringement, filed by consulting company A against employee B in February. Person B, who worked in the human resources team, was suspended from company A in September last year and had the company's servers and Company A was notified that access to mail would be restricted. However, Company A filed a preliminary injunction, claiming that even after Mr. B was suspended, Mr. B accessed the company's server, downloaded a large amount of trade secret information, and transferred some of it to an external hard drive. Mr. B denied the download itself. It is said that he accessed the server to revoke his server privileges. He also emphasized that the files moved to the external hard drive were only evidence for disciplinary action and were not trade secret information. The court ruled in Mr. B's favor. The court said, “When the server is synchronized, the file date value changes. Looking at the changed date value, there is a possibility that the debtor accessed the server at the time,” but added, “Even if you simply connect, it automatically synchronizes.” He added, “This supports the debtor’s claim that he accessed only to remove permission,” and added, “As the data transferred to the storage device is also not case-related data, it cannot be considered that trade secret information was leaked based on this.” Daeryun Law Firm, which represented Mr. B. Attorney Ji Min-hee explained, “Infringement of trade secrets is recognized only when there is an act of using or disclosing trade secret data for the purpose of gaining unfair advantage or inflicting damage. In this case, since Mr. B had neither the purpose of infringement nor use or disclosure, he was able to explain this well and resolve the injustice.” Reporter Kim Jong-cheol (jckim99@sportsseoul.com)[View full article] Are trade secrets leaked when accessing the company server and downloading files?... Law: “There is no fact of a leak” The reason why the employee raised his hand (Shortcut)

The representative of a travel agency who was booked on charges of intimidation after asking a customer who left a dissatisfied message on an online bulletin board to delete the post was cleared by the police. According to the legal community on the 14th, Yongsan Police Station in Seoul investigated Mr. A, who was booked on charges of intimidation, and decided not to forward him. In December of last year, when customer B left a complaint on the bulletin board of the travel agency he runs, Mr. A sent a message saying, “I will file a complaint for obstruction of business and defamation.” Mr. B sued Mr. A, claiming, “I left the message because the travel agency did not properly fulfill my demands. I felt very scared after receiving the message.” Article 283 of the Criminal Code stipulates that ‘a person who threatens a person shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than two years, a fine of not more than 5 million won, detention, or a minor fine.’ Mr. A denied the charges. It is true that the product that Mr. B reserved was not provided smoothly, but he was informed of the refund process and politely asked him to take down the post, so it cannot be seen as a threat. As a result of the investigation, the police concluded that it is difficult to say that Mr. B actually felt fear. In addition, the company's representative, Mr. A, found the speculative article and informed it, which can be seen as a legitimate exercise of rights and is considered acceptable in terms of social norms. Mr. A's legal representative, Seungjin Ahn, a lawyer at Daeryun Law Firm, said, "The crime of intimidation is established only when the victim recognizes the notice of harm and feels actual fear. The crime of intimidation does not constitute a crime simply because he heard unpleasant words or felt vague discomfort." Attorney Min also said, “Considering that Mr. A is the representative, there were no illegal elements in requesting the deletion of the post, and because we proved this, we were able to be acquitted.” Reporter Jeong Cheol-wook[View full article] Representative of travel agency accused of ‘threats’ after asking “to take down the post” not guilty (link)

The crime of property damage is committed when physical force is exercised over an object with the knowledge of infringing on all or part of the utility of another person's property, thus harming the utility of the object for its original purpose. In other words, the key to establishing a crime of property damage is ‘intention.’ If you damage another person's property by simple mistake, it does not constitute a crime and you cannot be punished. So, will the charge also apply if you damage another person's property while intoxicated? First of all, the answer to that question is ‘yes’. Even if you do not remember because you are drunk, a legal judgment is made based on evidence. Also, since the crime of property damage is not a crime of pro-reporting or a crime of impunity (a crime that requires the victim to file a complaint), the investigation can proceed even if the victim does not want to be punished. If the charge is applied and you are punished, you can be imprisoned for up to 3 years or fined up to 7 million won in accordance with Article 366 of the Criminal Act (damage to property, etc.). I will introduce a case that I actually handled. Suspect A, while intoxicated, struck a neighbor's vehicle parked in the parking lot of his apartment several times with his foot. As a result, the vehicle was damaged and expensive repair costs were incurred. Mr. A learned that he had committed the crime only after receiving a call from the police the next day. At the time, the scene of Mr. A's crime was captured on CCTV at the scene. In response, Mr. A contacted the victim and offered an apology along with the cost of repairs, and he thought this would put an end to the incident. However, the case was transferred to the prosecution and was in danger of being handed over to trial. During the prosecution investigation stage, the case was actively appealed to the point that was reached with the victim. After securing the victim's statement of leniency that he did not want criminal punishment for Mr. A, this was delivered to the prosecution. As a result, Mr. A was able to receive a non-indictment. Attorney Lee Dong-geun of Daeryun Law Firm said, “What is important in property damage crimes is ‘agreement.’ This is because agreement with the victim is judged to be a sentencing factor for reduced sentences in criminal proceedings. In particular, with regard to agreement, it is necessary to secure accurate data such as conversation details or deposit details between the parties.”[View full article] You can be punished for vandalism and destruction of property while intoxicated... How should you respond? (Shortcut)

A worker who filed a request for relief on the grounds that unfair personnel appointments were made was granted a citation by the Labor Relations Commission. On February 7, the Gyeonggi Regional Labor Relations Commission issued a citation in a lawsuit filed by a worker in his 40s, A, in his 40s, against manufacturer B for relief from unfair transfers. Person A joined Company B in the early 2000s and has worked there for over 20 years. The problem began when Mr. A was appointed as the team leader of a newly established department in November of last year. Mr. A claimed that this action was part of layoffs. It is said that retaliatory personnel appointments were made when Mr. A did not apply for the company's voluntary retirement recruitment held in January. At the same time, the company emphasized that it was an unfair transfer, saying that the team consisted of people of higher rank than the company and that it was inefficient by assigning tasks that overlapped with the existing organization. Company B completely refuted this. He claimed that a new team was established to strengthen the company's competitiveness and improve production efficiency, and that it was only a transfer accordingly. In addition, it was explained that it was a justified measure because there were no disadvantages to workers' lives, such as an increase in commuting time, and the situation was explained through interviews. The Labor Relations Commission ruled in Mr. A's favor. The committee said, "The management did not assign clear roles when creating the department, so work was not accomplished and no visible results were produced." It also said, "It appears that dissonance within the team continues, with team members having higher ranks than the workers designated as leaders, leading to difficulties in command." He added, "As a result, the purpose and role of the department's existence are very questionable," and "It is difficult to acknowledge the business necessity of the company's transfer as well." Attorney Choi Han-sik of the Daeryun Law Firm, who represented Mr. A in this case, said, "When determining business necessity, the company must objectively look at whether it contributes to rational operation, such as improving work efficiency by appropriately deploying labor." “It appears that the need has not been recognized,” he said. Reporter Hwang Jeong-won (jwhwang@mt.co.kr)[View full article] The company moved me to another department when I refused to retire... Labor Committee “Unfair Transfer” (Shortcut)

A man in his 30s who was put on trial for allegedly omitting the purchase price in the process of selling a used cell phone was found not guilty. According to the legal community on the 11th, the Gwangju District Court found Mr. A, in his 30s, not guilty in February on charges of embezzlement on the job. While working at a mobile phone dealer in Gwangju in 2022, Mr. A sold a used mobile phone he received from a customer for 150,000 won, and was sued by the president for not depositing the amount into the company account. Mr. A denied the charge, claiming that he had forgotten to re-deposit the money into the company account after selling the device. The prosecution concluded that Mr. A had an intention to embezzle and indicted him briefly with a fine of 300,000 won, but Mr. A requested a formal trial. “When I was working at the dealership, I had continuously handled the business of selling used devices. Nevertheless, there was a problem only in this one case,” he said. The court also ruled that there was no intention of embezzlement and declared the person not guilty. The court said, “We did not find any suspicious circumstances other than this case,” and ruled, “We cannot rule out the possibility that it was a simple omission, as the defendant claimed.” Kwak Ji-yeon, a lawyer at Daeryun Law Firm who represented Mr. A, said, “Mr. “There was an omission in the delivery of the sales payment by mistake while disposing of the mobile phone,” he explained. “After hearing about the omission from the complainant, he promised to return it, but the complainant immediately filed a complaint.” He also said, “Mr. A had no intent to embezzle, and there was no other evidence to prove it. Therefore, in this case, he was acquitted because there was no proof of a crime.” Reporter Jeong Eui-jin (jej88@ikbc.co.kr)[View full article] Man in his 30s accused of embezzlement for missing deposit of 150,000 won, found not guilty