Press Coverage

A meaningful step forward for local people with disabilities. General Manager Kwon Min-kyung promises to "expand legal support for the underprivileged" On December 27, Gumi City Disabled Welfare Center (Director Kim Hyu-jin) signed a business agreement (MOU) with Daeryun Law Firm (CEO Kim Kuk-il) in a conference room on the second floor of the welfare center to provide free annual legal advice and comprehensive support. This agreement is expected to be a meaningful step toward improving the welfare of the disabled in the local community. The agreement ceremony was attended by Daeryun Law Firm's staff, including attorney Kwon Min-kyung, head of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk General Headquarters, and attorney Noh Gyeong-guk, head of the Gimcheon-gu U.S. Office. The main contents of the agreement include ▲provision of free legal advice once a year ▲discounted benefits for hiring a lawyer ▲comprehensive support through advice from lawyers, accountants, tax accountants, etc. upon request from welfare centers. Daegu Gyeongbuk General Manager Kwon Min-kyung of Daeryun Law Firm said, “I was deeply impressed by the multifaceted efforts of the Gumi City Welfare Center for the Disabled to promote the welfare of the disabled in the community, and Daeryun Law Firm also “We will work with welfare centers to come up with ways to expand legal support for the underprivileged,” said Director Kim Hyu-jin, “I am very pleased that our welfare centers will be able to receive more professional and systematic legal support through this agreement with Daeryun Law Firm.” Daeryun Law Firm established its 41st branch in the Gimcheon-Gumi region on September 30, 2024, establishing itself as a large law firm providing leading legal services in the Gyeongbuk region. It is attracting attention as a model for cooperation between institutions for community welfare and legal support. Meanwhile, through this agreement, the Gumi City Welfare Center for the Disabled is expected to be able to further strengthen its welfare services for the disabled by receiving more systematic and professional legal advice.[View full article] Joongbu Newspaper - Gumi City Disabled Welfare Center signs MOU with Daeryun Law Firm (Go here) Gyeongbuk Domin Ilbo - Gumi Welfare Center for the Disabled and Daeryun Law Firm signed an MOU (link) News No. 1 - Gumi City Disabled Welfare Center signs MOU with Daeryun Law Firm (Click here)

A man in his 40s who was accused of stealing insurance money after intentionally causing an accident was cleared of charges. According to the legal community on the 2nd, the Busan District Prosecutors' Office recently decided not to indict 44-year-old Mr. A, who was suspected of violating the Special Act on Prevention of Insurance Fraud. Mr. A collided with a car while driving a motorcycle at an intersection in Busan in August last year. Afterwards, Mr. A filed a claim for medical expenses from the insurance company. However, the insurance company claimed Mr. A's insurance. He filed a complaint against Mr. A to the police, claiming insurance fraud because of his extensive past accident history. “At the time of the accident, Mr. A was fully aware that a vehicle was approaching by glancing around, but he did not avoid it and caused a collision,” he said, adding, “This type of accident has often occurred in the past.” However, during the prosecution investigation, Mr. A denied the charges, saying he did not intentionally cause the accident. He has been in the delivery business for a long time, and because of this, he is bound to be more likely to have a traffic accident than other drivers. It was presented as evidence. The prosecution believed that the other party was responsible for the accident and decided that Mr. A's actions were not intentional and decided not to indict him. Mr. A's legal representative, lawyer Kim Kyung-hwan of the Daeryun Law Firm, said, "Mr. A had to undergo a prosecution investigation on suspicion of fraud even though he did not deceive the insurance company and claim insurance money," and added, "In this case, the accident occurred due to the other vehicle's negligence, and above all, they did everything they could, including activating the brake system." He explained, “Considering Mr. A’s occupational characteristics, even if there are many accidents of the same type, we cannot conclude that all of them are insurance fraud.” He added, “In particular, as we have never exaggerated the damage to receive a large settlement or insurance payment, we tried to reveal the unfair part.”[View full article] When I filed a claim for traffic accident treatment, the insurance company said it was ‘fraud’. A delivery driver in his 40s was ‘not guilty’ (link)

Summary order of fine of 2 million won → Suspension of sentencing Taking into account the fact that most of the data could not be viewed due to failure to download, a man in his 30s who downloaded an illegal video that was being distributed illegally received a suspended sentence. In November last year, Criminal Division 3 of the Gwangju District Court (Judge Han Sang-won) sentenced Mr. It was postponed. A suspended sentence is a ruling that postpones the sentence for a certain period of time for a crime that is judged to be minor, and allows the person to avoid the sentence when two years have passed from the date of the postponement. After expiration of the period, no criminal record will remain. In March of last year, Mr. A was indicted on charges of viewing, downloading, and possessing illegal footage uploaded to an anonymous Internet bulletin board. At the time, it was confirmed that the data downloaded by Mr. A included actual sexual violence crime videos. The prosecution summarily indicted Mr. A with a fine of 2 million won, but Mr. A objected and requested a formal trial. At the trial, Mr. A's legal representative said that Mr. A had illegally filmed the video. Although the download was attempted, it was not completed, so it was only an attempt, and asked for leniency. The court also accepted Mr. A's argument and decided to postpone the fine. A judge said, "It is acknowledged that the defendant watched films or reproductions that could cause sexual desire or shame in the victims against their will," but added, "The sentence is determined by taking into account the defendant's admission of wrongdoing and deep regret, and the quantity of illegal films watched." The reason for the sentencing was revealed. Attorney Shim Ga-hyeon of Daeryun Law Firm (Limited), who represented Mr. A, said, "The defendant was deeply blaming himself for not being able to overcome his curiosity and committing a crime. The defendant, who was preparing to transfer to a public company, was in a situation where if he was criminally punished for this incident, he would not only have the opportunity to change jobs but also be fired from his job." He added, "The law has been revised so that even simple viewing of illegally filmed videos can be punished. It cannot be said that the defendant's crime was actually committed; “I was able to successfully receive a deferred sentence by arguing that the risk of recidivism was low,” he explained.[View full article] Man in his 30s charged with ‘possession of illegal video’ ‘suspended sentence’ (link)

◇ Kuk-il Kim, representative attorney at Daeryun Law Firm, “Beyond the Galapagos to the Ocean” When a domestic company appoints a domestic law firm to establish a corporation in the United States, the law firm enters into an advisory contract with an affiliated American law firm or brokers an appointment contract between the domestic company and the American law firm. The reality is that the domestic law firm receives only a certain fee and the American law firm takes most of the profits. As a result, domestic law firms are focusing on hiring and promoting high-ranking public officials or executives of large corporations every year, or using office managers to receive consulting and senior fees from corporate or individual clients for domestic legal work. However, it is difficult to expect an increase in sales proportional to the increase in the number of lawyers through domestic operations alone, and the profitability of domestic law firms and the average salary of lawyers are decreasing every year due to the deepening of the sales sharing phenomenon. Accordingly, Daeryun has risen to the ranks of large law firms in 2024, but we are feeling the limitations of the domestic legal market and are in the process of improving our constitution to become a global law firm that provides the best service to foreign clients by hiring foreign lawyers based on AI legal tech and online marketing, just like at home. As 2025 marks the Year of the Blue Snake, I hope that our legal profession will also shed its old shell and transform into a new one, going beyond the Galapagos and advancing into the ocean.[View full article] 2025 Law Firm New Year’s Message ① (Go here)

As the year-end and New Year holidays approach, many people plan gatherings with family, friends, and other acquaintances. Accordingly, as the number of drinking parties naturally increases, the risk of drunk driving also increases. According to the drunk driving accident analysis data released by the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, the number of drunk driving accidents that occurred in December and January were 4,025 and 3,727, respectively. All were higher than the overall monthly average of 3,582 cases. The number of deaths due to the accident also approached 100. The level of punishment for drunk driving varies depending on the number of arrests and blood alcohol level. If you are caught once, if your blood alcohol content is between 0.03% and less than 0.08%, your license will be suspended and you will be imprisoned for up to 1 year or a fine of up to 5 million won. If your blood alcohol content is between 0.08% and less than 0.2%, your license will be revoked and you will be imprisoned for 1 to 2 years or a fine of 5 to 10 million won. If your blood alcohol content is over 0.2%, you will be subject to 2 to 5 years in prison or a fine of 10 to 20 million won. You are subject to the following fines. If you have a history of drunk driving within 10 years, the sentence becomes more severe. If your blood alcohol concentration is less than 0.2%, your license will be revoked and you will be imprisoned for between 1 and 5 years or fined between 5 million won and 20 million won. If it is 0.2% or more, the sentence is strengthened to between 2 and 6 years in prison or a fine of between 10 million won and 30 million won. Also, if you fail to comply with a breathalyzer test to avoid being caught for drunk driving, you must be careful because this itself is subject to punishment. If you refuse to take the test, you will be sentenced to imprisonment for between 1 and 5 years or a fine of between 5 million won and 20 million won, regardless of your blood alcohol content. In particular, if a fatal accident occurs due to drunk driving, you will be punished according to the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (Special Act) depending on the case. If you cause an accident that causes death, you are subject to imprisonment for at least 3 years or life, and if you injure someone, you are subject to imprisonment for not less than 1 year but not more than 15 years, or a fine of not less than 10 million won but not more than 30 million won. In some cases, you may even be held civilly liable for the accident. If you are caught drunk driving or cause an accident during a period of repeated offenses, you may be sentenced to imprisonment and may be detained from the investigation stage. In these cases, you should seek the help of a legal professional with extensive experience in handling drunk driving cases to minimize disadvantages and take measures to ensure that you receive the lightest punishment possible. Even if it is your first offense, heavy punishment may be imposed in the case of drunk driving as it is an act that can take the life of another person. Therefore, even in this case, you must seek the assistance of a legal professional to accurately understand the circumstances of the case and strive to lower the sentence through the optimal solution.[View full article] Beware of increased risk of drunk driving during year-end and New Year drinking parties... Sentences can be severe even for first-time offenders (link)

Daeryun Law Firm Announces 'Regular Recruitment of Women with Interrupted Careers' In the law firm industry, where even professional female lawyers are not free from career interruptions, a law firm is attracting attention by announcing that it will hire women with interrupted careers. According to the legal community on the 30th, Daeryun Law Firm (Limited) posted a notice of 'regular recruitment of women with (interrupted) careers'. The recruitment fields are legal secretaries and legal clerks, and the qualifications are women whose careers have been interrupted due to pregnancy, childbirth, childcare leave, etc. Areas where you can work are about 40 places across the country, including Yeouido in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, Daejeon, Chungcheong, Gyeongsang, Jeolla, and Gangwon. This recruitment announcement has spread, attracting attention in office worker communities and mom cafes. Netizens who saw this responded positively, saying things like, ‘Just looking at the use of the term ‘woman with experience’ makes me feel careful,’ and ‘I wish other companies would make announcements like this more often.’ Daeryun plans to continuously recruit women who have taken a career break until next year. The reason why the recruitment announcement targeting so-called 'career women' has received a lot of attention is because women's career breaks due to pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare are still considered a major social problem. According to the employment status of married women in the regional employment survey for the first half of this year released by Statistics Korea last month, out of 7.65 million married women aged 15 to 54, there are 1.21 million women who have taken a career break. This accounted for about 15% of people. When asked about the reason for leaving their job, the largest number of respondents (41.1%) answered 'child care', followed by marriage (24.9%) and pregnancy/childbirth (24.4%). In fact, one law firm was embroiled in controversy over unfair dismissal by firing a female lawyer who tried to return after completing maternity and childcare leave in 2021. The law firm in question even filed a lawsuit to cancel the judgment for unfair dismissal relief, claiming that it was "an old practice in the lawyer industry," but lost the case in succession in the first and second trials. An official in the legal industry said, "I was very surprised by the fact that a job advertisement for a woman with a career break was published in the law firm industry, which is evaluated as very conservative compared to other occupations," and "I think it is an unusual move." Kim Kuk-il, CEO of Daeryun Law Firm (Limited), said, "Currently, Daeryun is working to create a family-friendly culture by expanding the maternity protection system and welfare systems for work-family balance," and added, "Through this recruitment, we plan to provide experienced women with opportunities to participate in economic activities and help them demonstrate their expertise and capabilities."[View full article] “We are hiring a dumpling girl”… Positive response to law firm recruitment advertisement continues (Go here)

Clothing manufacturer claims that the former CEO “unauthorized trademark application and use” and applied for a temporary injunction to ban the use of the trademark. Busan District Court Civil Division 14: “It is difficult to exclude the former CEO’s investment and effort in creating the trademark.” A company that filed a lawsuit against the former CEO for trademark use, claiming that its trademark rights had been infringed, was ruled to lose in the preliminary injunction trial. Busan District Court 14th Civil Division (Presiding Judge Jong-su Kim, Chief Judge Seung-hyeon Kim, and Seong-min Heo) The judge) decided on November 25 to dismiss the application for a temporary injunction to prohibit trademark use and interference with trade name use filed by Clothing Manufacturer and Distributor Company A against its former CEO, Mr. B. Company A was established by Mr. B in 2015. Mr. B had been running a private business manufacturing and selling products with his wife for several years, and as the business gradually grew, he decided to establish a corporation. Afterwards, Mr. B and his wife ran the company with their family for about 8 years. The problem arose when a dispute over management rights arose among the family members. Ultimately, Mr. B was dismissed from his position as CEO in 2023. Afterwards, Mr. B registered his business using the representative product name of Company A, which he had been operating, as its business name. The dispute over management rights escalated into a trademark dispute. Both sides filed an application for a temporary injunction to ban the use of trademarks. Company A claimed in this trial, “Even though Mr. B was only the nominal CEO, he applied for and registered three trademarks in his personal name without permission from the company and then used them without permission,” adding, “Mr. B infringed on their economic interests in a way that went against fair business practices or competitive order.” However, the 14th Civil Affairs Division of the Busan District Court, which heard this case, accepted Company A’s application. It was dismissed. The court ruled that “the first trademark was registered in 2014, before the establishment of Company A,” and that “it was created through Mr. B’s investment and efforts.” It continued, “The second and third trademarks were applied for and registered after the establishment of the company, but there are no circumstances showing that Company A raised an objection, such as blocking trademark registration or demanding compensation for damages.” The court also said, “Even before Company A was officially established, Mr. B and his wife used the trademark name.” It was ruled that “it is difficult to exclude Mr. B’s investment and effort.” Attorney Bang In-tae of Daeryun Law Firm (Limited), who represented Mr. B in this lawsuit, said, “Unauthorized use of the results created through significant investments or efforts of others for one’s own business in an unfair manner may constitute an act of unfair competition,” and added, “In this case, since Mr. B was significantly involved in the related performance for all three trademarks at issue, it does not constitute an act of unfair competition in itself.” “I don’t,” he said.[View full article] Why was the decision to ‘dismiss’ the lawsuit regarding “trademark infringement” and prohibition of use? (Shortcut)

Class action lawsuit filed by consumers affected by radon beds, first win in appeal after losing in first trial “Manufacturing and selling mattresses using radioactive substances harmful to the human body is illegal... compensation for damages, etc.”In a class action lawsuit filed by victims of the so-called “radon bed incident,” where radioactive materials were detected in mattresses and sparked controversy, the appeals court ruled that mattress manufacturers must compensate consumers for damages. It is said to be the first successful case among appellate trials targeting the same company, overturning the conclusion of the first trial, which ruled that all plaintiffs lost. Civil Division 18-1 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Wang Jeong-ok, High Court Judges Park Seon-joon and Jin Hyeon-min) overturned the original trial ruling in the appeal trial of the damages claim lawsuit filed by about 600 consumers, including Mr. Kim, against the state and Daejin Bed Co., Ltd., and ruled that Daejin Bed should pay 1 million won per person as alimony along with the price of the mattress. The so-called 'radon bed incident' began in May 2018 when news broke that a large amount of radon exceeding the standard was detected in the mattress of Daejin Bed Co., Ltd. Radon is a substance designated as a class 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is known to cause lung cancer. Consumers claimed that Daejin Bed applied ‘Mozanite’ to generate negative ions, and that the annual radiation exposure due to radon emitted from Mozanite exceeds safety standards. At the same time, he emphasized that Daejin Beds committed an illegal act by selling these products and suffered from physical and mental illnesses due to constant exposure to radiation through the use of the products. The Civil Division 30 of the Seoul Central District Court, which was in charge of the first trial, ruled that Daejin Bed was not responsible, ruling that Daejin Bed was not responsible, saying, “It is difficult to say that Daejin Bed was aware of the hazard as there were no laws regulating radioactive materials at the time of manufacturing and selling the mattress, and the maximum annual radiation exposure dose from the mattress is a low dose of 13 mSv (millisievert), making it difficult to recognize a causal relationship with the disease.” Consumers appealed against the first trial ruling, and the second trial ruled in favor of the consumers. Civil Division 18-1 of the Seoul High Court, which heard the appeal, said, “Around 2005, when the defendant manufactured the mattress, it was already recognized that the human body could be harmful if exposed to radiation above a certain amount,” and ruled, “Even if there were no specific legal standards at the time the mattress was manufactured and sold, the use of radioactive substances harmful to the human body is not permitted in principle.” The appellate court continued, “The plaintiffs were exposed to radiation exposure that exceeded the safety standards set by the Daily Radiation Act against their will in the bedroom, which should be the most comfortable and safe, without receiving any warning about the possibility of exposure to radiation while using the mattress in this case,” and ruled, “Defendant Daejin Bed Co., Ltd. is obligated to pay the plaintiff the price of the mattress, 1 million won each in alimony, and delay damages.” Attorney Hwang Se-jeong of Daeryun Law Firm (Limited), who represented consumers in this lawsuit, said, “Unlike the original trial, it is very meaningful that the bed company was also acknowledged as responsible,” and added, “As the appellate court said it would reach a conclusion on the remaining lawsuits through consultation, we expect a good result.” Attorney Hwang Se-jeong also added, "Following this ruling, other consumers seeking additional relief for damages are expected to be able to receive sufficient compensation. Based on Daeryun's capabilities specialized in class action lawsuits, we will continue to do our best to protect consumers' rights in the future."[View full article] Lawleader - Court ‘recognizes company liability for radon bed incident’... Consumers ‘partially win’ in second trial (link)

Daeryun Law Firm (CEOs Kim Kuk-il and Ko Byeong-jun) announced on the 26th that it had hired Cho Sang-soo (62, 18th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), a former deputy chief prosecutor, as its chief general counsel. After passing the 28th bar exam in 1986, Attorney Cho was appointed as a prosecutor at the Northern Branch of the Seoul District Prosecutors' Office in 1992. Since then, he has gained extensive experience by taking charge of cases in various fields, including medicine, intellectual property rights, and traffic crimes, at Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, Busan District Prosecutors' Eastern District Office, and Suwon District Prosecutors' Pyeongtaek Branch. In 2003, he was dispatched to the Constitutional Court as a constitutional researcher, and in 2006, he served as head of the Public Security Division 1 of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and was in charge of investigating election and anti-communist cases. Attorney Cho, who became a lawyer in 2011 after working as a prosecutor for more than 20 years, solidified his position in the legal field by obtaining not guilty verdicts in cases such as the bribery case of the director of a national research institute and the defamation case of a high-ranking public official. In particular, Attorney Cho has expertise in the IT field. He earned a master's degree in information security and a doctorate in IT policy management from Soongsil University, and gained practical experience by serving on the IT and personal information protection legal advisory group of the Korean Bar Association in 2014. Currently, he serves as a member of the Mining Mediation Committee under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Broadcast Dispute Mediation Committee under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and provides legal advice. Attorney Cho said, "I am happy to join Daeryun," and added, "Based on the legal expertise I have accumulated over 30 years, I will put my clients' interests first and spare no effort in providing legal support." Kim Kuk-il (56, 24th class), CEO of Daeryun Management, said, "Attorney Cho is a person who has successfully handled cases that have attracted social attention through his work as a prosecutor and lawyer. He has expertise in the IT field in particular, and is expected to contribute to improving the quality of Daeryun's legal services."[View full article] Law News - Daeryun Law Firm Recruits Attorney Cho Sang-soo, a former Deputy Chief Prosecutor (Click here) Legal Times - [Law Firm iN] Daeryun Law Firm Recruits Attorney Jo Sang-soo (Click here) Dailyan - Daeryun Law Firm recruits attorney Jo Sang-soo, a former deputy chief prosecutor (link)

A man in his 40s who was indicted on charges of forcibly dragging his ex-lover home and sexually assaulting her was sentenced to prison. On the 19th of last month, the 12th Criminal Division of the Ulsan District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Jong-hyuk) sentenced Mr. A (40), who was accused of rape, to 1 year and 6 months in prison and placed him in court custody. He was also ordered to complete a 40-hour sexual violence treatment program. Mr. A is accused of sexually assaulting the victim, Mr. B (35), at his residence in October last year. The two had already broken up that same month, but Mr. A lured Mr. B to his house, saying, “I have something to talk about.” At the time of the incident, Mr. B expressed his refusal several times, but Mr. A ignored this and committed violence. At the trial, Mr. A pleaded not guilty. As evidence to support this, they cited the fact that no tangible force was used to make resistance impossible and that sexual intercourse occurred with the victim's consent. The victim's attitude before and after the crime was also raised as an issue. It is said that the victim did not actively express his refusal at the time and communicated with him even after the incident occurred. The court did not accept Mr. A's claim. The court ruled, "The victim is giving specific and consistent statements regarding the entire crime in this case, including the circumstances in which this incident occurred, the words and actions of the defendant at the time of the crime, and the way the victim resisted the defendant. If the male defendant uses physical force, it is not easy for the female victim to overcome that force." He also said, "It is against the rules of logic and experience based on justice and equity to determine the reaction that a normal sexual assault victim should show based on incorrect notions and to deny the reasonableness of the victim's statement because he acted contrary to this." Attorney Song Min-ye of Daeryun Law Firm (Limited), who is the legal representative of victim B, said, "The problem that we always face when representing sexual crime victims is the demand for 'victim-ness'. The perpetrator digs into this. “We deny the credibility of the victim’s statement,” he said. “In this case, the defendant denied the charges, saying that the victim in this case did not show what a victim would naturally do, and as a result of proving the damage throughout the complaint process, the defendant could have been sentenced to prison.”[View full article] Money S - Claims, “It’s not sexual assault because I kept getting contacted”… Court sentences man who raped his ex-lover to prison (link) Segye Ilbo - Man accused of sexually assaulting ex-girlfriend, claims ‘not guilty’, saying they kept in touch with him afterward (link) Edaily - “We kept in touch even after the sexual assault”… Is it ‘not guilty’? (Shortcut)