Press Coverage

Obenef Daeryun, a company specializing in online education platforms, provides legal advice on 'startup package' for small and medium-sized businesses Daeryun Corporate Law Group of Law Firm (Limited) announced on the 20th that it signed an MOU with Obenef, a company specializing in online education platforms. At the signing ceremony held in the seminar room of Daeryun headquarters at Park One in Yeouido on the 15th, Daeryun CEO Kim Kuk-il and Obenev CEO Jang Cheol-hoon attended. Since its establishment in 2015, Obenev has been engaged in the business of developing professional systems such as next-generation content management systems. In particular, as a result of focusing on developing an independent AI platform, it was honored with the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award at the E-Learning Edtech Business Model Contest held in 2020. In addition, it was selected as a youth-friendly small and medium-sized company in recognition of its outstanding performance in areas such as wages, work, life balance, and employment stability. Obenev, which has set the goal of building a future education environment that can adapt to the untact environment of the 4th Industrial Revolution era and providing high-quality content, will receive legal advice from Daeryun on overall matters of corporate operation, from intellectual property rights such as various patent applications and patent dispute management to improvement of personnel and labor systems. Daeryun focuses on corporate law. It is a law firm that provides professional legal services with detailed groups in each field. Recently, it has entered Japan and is expanding its reach globally. Through this business agreement, Daeryun plans to provide all-round support to revitalize young small and medium-sized enterprises. In particular, through this agreement, both sides plan to cooperate with each other in △sharing various issues related to small and medium-sized enterprises △responding to intellectual property laws such as patent disputes △reviewing laws related to content and information security △legal advice on various contracts, △promoting seminars and training for joint projects. Jang, CEO of Obenev, said, “In the education market, content is valuable capital and a large asset, so complex problems such as patent infringement are bound to arise. “This is why we want to receive all possible dispute management and various accounting and legal support,” he said. “Currently, IT companies are in a situation where the risk of labor disputes is increasing in relation to the management of specialized technical personnel, so we expect to receive professional help in this regard.” Daeryun’s CEO Kim said, “At Daeryun Corporate Legal Group, we are providing professional corporate legal advice as a ‘startup package’ for young small and medium-sized businesses in the growth stage. “We plan to apply this system to Ovenev to provide more detailed help,” he said. [View full article] - [Law Firm Lounge] Daeryun Corporate Legal Group-Obenev, MOU for ‘Vitalization of Young Small and Medium Enterprises’ (Click here)

In order to quickly respond to deepfake crimes, experienced professional lawyers are appointed to assist from the police investigation stage to the trial... Kim In-won, Head of Detective Group, Collaborating with Experts in Evidence Investigation and Digital Forensics, "Daeryun Specialized Attorney is Giving Clients Overall Advice on Investigation and Trial Procedures" While so-called 'deepfake sex crimes', in which other people's faces are synthesized and distributed in pornography, are on the rise, Daeryun Criminal Group at Law Firm (Limited) announced on the 19th that it launched a cybercrime team last month to respond to cybersex crimes. The cybercrime team is collaborating with the affiliated digital forensics center. We plan to actively assist in the collection of evidence related to deepfake videos. A large number of professional lawyers with extensive relevant experience have been deployed to the cyber crime team to strengthen the deepfake sex crime response system. In particular, professional lawyers with an average of more than 20 years of legal experience lead the way, including Kim In-won, head of the criminal group, a former chief prosecutor at the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office, Park Seong-dong, a former Seoul High Prosecutors' Office chief prosecutor and police officer, Ahn Seung-jin, a former Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office chief prosecutor, and Park Ji-young, a former Incheon District Prosecutors' Office. Lawyer Shin Yong-hoon and Cho Seong-geun, who specialize in criminal and sexual crime cases, will also join the group. First, Group Leader Kim took on many cases related to sexual crimes during his time as chief prosecutor, and is a sex crime lawyer with a high success rate in cases such as rape, quasi-rape, forcible molestation, and possession of sexually exploitative materials. Attorney Park is a former police officer who went through the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Investigation Department and Intelligence and Foreign Affairs Department and is a lawyer who has experience in both police and prosecutorial investigative procedures. Attorney Ahn also specializes in violent cases such as sexual violence and drugs, and is a competent person who has even received a commendation from the Prosecutor General. Cyber ​​sex crimes such as deepfake are serious crimes punishable by up to 5 years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won under the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes. In particular, if you produce or distribute for profit, you will be subject to aggravated punishment, and security measures such as employment restrictions and disclosure of personal information may also be imposed. In particular, caution is required in that even if you did not produce illegally filmed material, you can be punished just for possessing, distributing, or sharing it. As such, collecting evidence is key in cyber sex crime cases. This is because in many cases, tracking is impossible due to closed distribution channels. Accordingly, the Daeryun Cyber ​​Crime Team deploys specialized personnel to collect relevant evidence. Among the collected data, we plan to provide overall assistance, including selecting data that can be submitted to investigative agencies and deleting and converting sensitive information. In addition, existing mock investigation and court systems will also be actively utilized. The policy is to provide close legal representation throughout all procedures, from the police investigation stage to the trial. Group Leader Kim explained, "Daeryun's professional lawyers provide clients with general advice on investigation and trial procedures," and added, "Through simulation, we help them express their opinions without being embarrassed in real situations." Regarding simple possession and sharing of illegal videos, Group Manager Kim said, "Unlike sex crimes that took place face-to-face in the past, cyber sex crimes are not limited by time and space. “Punishment standards are also changing in line with evolving crimes,” he said. “The cyber crime team will provide customized assistance to victims by helping them collect evidence and collecting extenuating circumstances to perpetrators.” [View full article]Dalian - Daeryun Law Firm responds to 'deepfake sex crimes'... Launch of cyber crime team (Go to) Aju Economic Daily - [Law Firm Lounge] Daeryun launches cyber crime team to respond to 'deepfake sex crimes'... Launches cyber crime team (Go to) BBS NEWS - Daeryun Law Firm launches 'Deepfake sex crimes' cyber crime team (Go to) GD Net Korea - Daeryun Law Firm launches 'Cyber ​​Crime Team' to respond to deepfake sex crimes (Go to)

[Anchor] Three years ago, a day laborer who was cleaning windows in Daegu fell to his death. The bereaved family applied for survivor benefits from the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, but the corporation requested the money back a year and a half later, claiming that he was not an employee under the Labor Standards Act. At the end of the lawsuit, the court ruled in favor of the bereaved family. This is Reporter Hyeon Ye-seul. [Report] In June 2021, a cleaning worker in her 50s was seen outside the building by her mother-in-law. While washing a window, he fell 8 meters and died. The rope of the simple chair he was hanging on broke. The bereaved family received 160 million won, including bereaved family benefits and funeral expenses, from the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service in recognition of Mr. Jang's work-related accident. However, a year and a half later, the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service issued a decision to collect unfair profits and demanded the return of 160 million won. Mr. Jang received compensation from a subcontractor. He is a worker who receives daily wages, and a reinvestigation by the Ministry of Employment and Labor found that he does not qualify as an employee under the Labor Standards Act. The bereaved family objected and filed a lawsuit, but the court ruled in favor of the bereaved family. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled, "Under the Labor Standards Act, workers must consider whether they provided labor to the employer in a dependent relationship for which wages are the purpose rather than in the form of an employment contract, etc." At the same time, during the Labor Office's initial investigation, "there was also a statement from a company official that he gave work instructions directly to Mr. Jang." He explained, "It corresponds to a worker who provides labor according to the company's instructions and is eligible for compensation." [Bang In-tae/Attorney: "They are starting to apply a more precise standard (to workers), meaning that if they can be evaluated as being within the scope of management's control in terms of social and commercial norms, they should be considered workers."] The court also said that even if Mr. Jang was not subject to the subcontractor's employment rules or service regulations, it can be said that he is 'not a worker' based on those circumstances alone. He said he couldn't do it. This is Hyun Ye-seul from KBS News. Video editing: Han Hyo-jeong/Graphics: Kim Ji-hye [View full article] - Demand for “return of bereaved family benefits for daily workers”… Court says it is eligible for benefits (link)

Daeryun Law Firm (CEO Kim Kuk-il, Ko Byeong-jun) announced on the 18th that it had hired lawyer Park Hyeong-geon (49, 33rd class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), a former judge, as its chief general counsel. Attorney Park Hyeong-geon graduated from Daejeon Myeongseok High School and Seoul National University's Department of Judicial Justice and passed the 43rd bar exam in 2001. He served as an Army legal officer, Daejeon District Court judge, and Cheongju District Court judge. Attorney Park plans to reside at Daeryun's Pyeongtaek branch office and oversee cases across the country. Attorney Park said, "I will do my best in defense by using the legal knowledge I have accumulated through my career," and added, "I will put my clients' rights and interests first with the belief that 'learning, growth, and happiness are all in the same body.'" Kim Kuk-il (56, 24th class), CEO of Business Management, said, "As a judge, I will do my best in defense." “We expect that we will be able to provide better legal services to our clients by recruiting Attorney Park, who not only has experience but also has various qualifications such as tax accountant, patent attorney, and real estate agent,” he said. [View full article] Law News - Daeryun Law Firm recruits lawyer Hyeong-geon Park, a former judge (Shortcut) Legal Times - [Law Firm iN] Daeryun, recruits lawyer Hyeong-geon Park, a former judge (Shortcut) Law Leader - Daeryun Law Firm recruits lawyer Hyung-geon Park, a former judge (Shortcut) Segye Ilbo - Daeryun Law Firm (Limited) recruits lawyer Hyung-gun Park, a former judge (Shortcut) (Shortcut)Dalian - Daeryun Law Firm Recruits Attorney Park Hyeong-geon, a ‘former Judge’ (Shortcut)

A man who was being investigated by the police for abusing an adopted cat was cleared of charges. Seoul Gwanak Police Station announced on the 18th that Mr. A, a man accused of violating the Animal Protection Act on the 1st, was found 'not guilty'. Mr. A received a cat from Mr. B through a website last May. The adopted cat had frequent toileting mistakes due to changes in the environment, and Mr. A contacted Mr. B to inform him of this fact and began training. However, a few weeks later, Mr. B suddenly announced his intention to cancel the sales contract and took the cat away. Afterwards, he claimed that Mr. A had abused him and demanded payment for treatment. Mr. A completely denied the charges. He said that he raised the cat in a clean residence and provided all necessary items such as water supply, food, and a toilet. He also refuted the claims of abuse. Previously, Mr. B submitted a photo of the cat with injuries to the police as evidence of abuse. In response, Mr. A responded to this. The side claimed, "The wound was not visible at all on the outside, so we were not aware of it, and it is highly likely that it was a wound that existed before the sale." Regarding the case, the police decided not to forward it to the prosecution, saying, "There is not enough evidence to acknowledge the charge of violating the Animal Protection Act." Lee Eui-seok, a lawyer at Daeryun Law Firm (Limited), who represented Mr. He explained, "Not only did Mr. A not abuse the cat, but he also complied with his protection obligations as a caregiver by providing water, food, and living space, so there is no possibility of violating the Animal Protection Act." He added, "The investigative agency also appears to have accepted this claim." [View full article] - Man accused of 'cat abuse', acquitted of charges. Why? (Shortcut)

Yanolja refuses refund if reservation is canceled 10 minutes after payment... Consumer Litigation Court recommends that Yanolja and the hotel pay half of the claimed amount. Yanolja, which refused to refund the reservation deposit, will now refund the reservation deposit. The court found Yanolja's rule that refunds are only possible when cancellation is made within 10 minutes of payment through the accommodation app as unfair. On the 14th, the Seoul Central District Court issued a decision recommending a settlement ordering Yanolja and one other person (hotel) to pay half of the plaintiff's claim amount. The deadline for payment is the 20th of this month. Plaintiff A, who filed the lawsuit, purchased a hotel accommodation ticket through the Yanolja app in October 2023, but tried to cancel the accommodation contract because the schedule was changed in two hours. Yanolja responded to the plaintiff, saying, “It is possible to cancel the reservation, but a cancellation fee equivalent to 100% of the reservation deposit will be incurred.” In fact, cancellation was impossible. Mr. A requested a refund again, citing that not much time had passed, but Yanolja took the position, "No cancellation fee will be incurred only if cancellation is made within 10 minutes of the reservation, and if cancellation is made after that, no refund is possible without any exception." The court recommended, "Pay half of the plaintiff's claim amount by the 20th of this month, but if the deadline is exceeded, delay damages at 12% per annum should be added and paid." The industry believes that the court is essentially acknowledging that Yanolja's regulations are a violation of the Electronic Commerce Act. It was judged that the rule that a full refund is only possible when canceled on the application screen within 10 minutes of payment and that a 100% cancellation fee is charged after 10 minutes was unfair was not fair. Attorney Kim Jin-woo of Daeryun Law Firm, who represented the lawsuit, said, "I understand that if a refund is made with a short period of time left before the reservation date, Yanolja will not have time to resell the product, but 10 minutes is too short," and "Cancellation only within 10 minutes is extremely difficult for the seller." “It is an advantageous and unfavorable condition for consumers,” he explained. [View full article] - [Exclusive] Court orders Yanolja, which refused to refund, to “refund even if canceled after 10 minutes” (Shortcut)

Recently, in order to avoid women's false accusation of sexual violence, an application (app) that specifies mutual consent before sexual intercourse has emerged, raising interest and concerns. Along with the expectation that ‘reckless and false accusation crimes will disappear’, there are also concerns that ‘there are concerns about sexual violence caused by forced consent.’ This app, which was launched last July, is advertised as being the first in Korea to have been consulted by a lawyer, and has recorded more than 1,000 downloads to date despite being a paid service. However, it is difficult to prove ‘voluntary consent’, so recognition of its effectiveness is uncertain. The 'Sexual Relations Agreement' on the app contains the following: 'In concluding this contract, the proposer (A) and the acceptor (A) agree to mutual skinship and sexual relations.' Here, skinship is defined as 'covering all conversations and physical contact using sexual expressions.' The idea is that if the app user sends a consent form to the other person's cell phone and the other person verifies it, they are considered to have consented to sexual intercourse and cannot be held responsible in the future. In other words, it is a device to prevent legal controversies that may arise in the future by leaving evidence that both parties agreed to sexual relations. Does this kind of mutual agreement have legal effect in criminal cases such as sexual assault? To conclude, this app may be useful in the sense that it leaves behind evidence that it was not sexual assault, but it does not seem easy to receive complete legal immunity simply by consenting through the app. Kim Dong-jin, a lawyer at Daeryun Law Firm who spoke with Segye Ilbo on the 15th, advised, “I don’t think I will be able to receive complete immunity legally, but I think it will have some effect.” Attorney Kim said, "We need to look at two perspectives," and added, "Assault or threats are actions that go against the other person's will. If there is evidence that it was done in some way, it can be seen that it may not have been assault or threats." He explained, “Even if it is not this app, if you look at recent precedents, the number of cases where the suspect or victim has to prove it directly has increased more than before,” and “It is difficult for the suspect to reveal that the other person consented. From this perspective, if you can prove that the consent through the app was not coercive, it may be a little more helpful legally.” However, he pointed out that “complete immunity is difficult,” and added, “Even if there was consent in the app, there are cases of sexual assault by consent. When making a ruling, the court looks at everything, including whether consent is based on behavior or intent.” In other words, regardless of whether the app was used, a person can be found not guilty when it can be proven that there was no consent or coercion, so the app also needs this process. Unfortunately, if you cannot prove this, you cannot be free from the damage of false accusation. [View full article] - Will the ‘sexual consent app’ false accusation crimes disappear? (Shortcut)

The so-called ‘Tattoo Justice Act’, which legalizes tattoo procedures by non-medical personnel, was once again proposed to the National Assembly last month. There have been several movements to legalize tattoos, but each time they have failed to pass the National Assembly threshold. However, with the re-enactment of the ‘Tattoo Judiciary Act’, attention is focused on whether to allow unlicensed procedures. Currently, non-medical tattoo procedures are illegal. This is because the Supreme Court defined tattooing as a medical practice in 1992, and its impact has continued to this day. At the time, the Supreme Court considered tattooing to be an activity that could pose health and hygiene risks if not performed by a medical professional. Accordingly, tattooing by an unlicensed tattoo operator constitutes a violation of Article 27, Paragraph 1 of the Medical Service Act (imprisonment for not more than 5 years or a fine of not more than 50 million won) and Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the Special Measures Act on the Control of Health Crimes (imprisonment for life or more than 2 years, a fine of not less than 1 million won but not more than 10 million won). However, as the demand for cosmetic procedures such as eyebrow tattooing has recently increased, there has been continued criticism that there is a large gap between the law and reality. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's '2023 Survey Results Report on the Status of Tattoo Users', more than half of the people who have received tattoos or semi-permanent makeup responded that 'non-medical personnel should be allowed to perform tattoos.' As social discussions surrounding the legalization of tattoo procedures continue, a public participation trial in this regard was held in May. The Daegu District Court sentenced Mr. A (24), a tattooist, to one year in prison, two years of probation, and a fine of 1 million won for giving eyebrow tattooing to a customer even though he was not qualified to be a medical professional. The jury at the time was made up of seven members of the general public, four of whom found guilty and the remaining three found not guilty. The jury and court sided with the prosecution's argument that eyebrow tattooing was a ‘medical practice.’ However, some lower courts ruled not guilty, which went against existing Supreme Court precedents. The Eastern Branch of the Busan District Court found not guilty a woman in her 20s who was indicted on charges of performing semi-permanent makeup without a medical license in December last year. At the time, the court ruled, "A whopping 30 years have passed since the Supreme Court's mainstream ruling on eyebrow surgery. As of 2018, the cumulative number of people who have experienced semi-permanent makeup is 10 million. In particular, 'eyebrow tattooing' has become common regardless of age and gender," and ruled, "Illegalization actually promotes illegality and danger and threatens the public's health." Even before this, in the Cheongju District Court in 2022, both the first and second trials found the director of a beauty academy who performed eyebrow tattooing not guilty. Ultimately, confusion is expected to continue for the time being as conflicting rulings have been issued within the legal community regarding the permission of unlicensed procedures. In particular, as the Supreme Court is currently conducting an en banc hearing on another tattoo case, it remains to be seen whether a decision will be made that will overturn the existing precedent. However, as the tattoo operator's practice was recently found guilty through a public participation trial, caution is still needed regarding unlicensed tattoo practice. For this reason, if you are in a situation where related charges have been applied, it can be said that the best alternative is to get help from an expert. [View full article] - Re-enactment of the ‘Tattoo Criminal Act’... Crossroads in allowing unlicensed procedures (Go here)

Daeryun Law Firm (Lihan), which provides specialized legal services for the pharmaceutical industry, including patent and trademark intellectual property protection, announced on the 14th that it signed an MOU with pharmaceutical manufacturer Hiple Life Science Co., Ltd. At the MOU signing ceremony held at the headquarters of Hiple Co., Ltd. located in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si on the 12th, Daeryun's Corporate Legal Group Head Won Won-il and Hiple Life Science CEO Cho Jae-min attended. Hiple Life Science is a subsidiary of Hiple Co., Ltd. and is a pharmaceutical company with 55 years of business established in 1970. Hiple Life Science, which has grown as ‘Korea’s only company specializing in kidney disease treatment,’ is currently expanding its scope to produce various specialized treatment drugs and distributing them to domestic and foreign pharmaceutical companies. Through this MOU, Daeryun plans to provide specialized legal services to the pharmaceutical industry, such as ▲ legal advice on transaction contracts, ▲ review of domestic and foreign drug regulations, ▲ product dispute resolution and litigation support, to Hiple Life Science. In particular, as Hiple Life Science is working on developing new drugs. The policy is to provide legal assistance from a comprehensive perspective by collaborating with professional teams belonging to each group, including Daeryun's pharmaceutical bio and healthcare team and intellectual property rights team. Jae-min Cho, CEO of Hypl Life Science Co., Ltd., said, "I am satisfied with the legal help I am receiving by signing an MOU with Hypl, and expressed my intention to sign an MOU to obtain additional support for my subsidiaries. In the pharmaceutical industry, intellectual property rights are a core asset of a company and the basis of its competitiveness. Daeryun's professional legal services with extensive related experience. “Through this support, we will be able to reduce legal risks in domestic and overseas markets and promote stable growth,” said Won Il Won, head of the corporate legal group at Daeryun Law Firm. “Through this MOU, we will focus on providing necessary legal advice to Hiple Life Science and increasing competitiveness,” adding, “Daeryun is systematically protecting corporate rights such as patents and trademarks along with operating the corporate legal group and intellectual property rights group. “We will work hard to ensure that Hiple Life Science’s rights are not infringed upon in the pharmaceutical industry and help with stable business expansion,” he said. [View full article] - MOU with Daeryun Law Firm and Hiple Life Science (Go here)

A woman in her 30s who defrauded the victim of tens of millions of won by defrauding her of 78 million won through a 'romance scam' method and got married was sentenced to probation. Judge Moon Jong-cheol, Criminal Division 7 of the Incheon District Court, sentenced A, a woman accused of fraud, to 10 months in prison, 2 years of probation, and ordered her to perform 120 hours of community service. Ms. A is a BJ on a streaming platform. He was accused of embezzling 78 million won from his ex-boyfriend, Mr. B, from March 2022 to June of the following year. They dated since 2016 and broke up around 2019. Three years later, Mr. A contacted Mr. B again and began demanding money, saying, “I need money due to unreasonable business.” Afterwards, Mr. A told Mr. B, “You can just get married and live together and pay it back.” He even urged me to take out a loan. However, at the time, it was revealed that Mr. A was already married to a man other than Mr. B. The court ruled that Mr. A's actions were intentional. The court pointed out that “the defendant deceived the victim into thinking that he was in a romantic relationship with the victim on the premise of marriage,” and that it was “a crime that took advantage of a personal relationship of trust.” He then said, “The period of the crime was long, the amount of damage was not small, and the damage was not fully recovered.” However, the court added that it decided the sentence by taking into account the fact that Mr. A acknowledged and reflected on his crime and the fact that he reached an agreement with Mr. B. Daeryun Law Firm (Yuhan), which served as Mr. B’s legal representative, said, “Mr. “This is a typical case of a romance scam,” he said. He added, “He stole a large amount of money by taking advantage of the victim’s favor towards him in a situation where he had no ability or will to repay, so it clearly constitutes fraud under the criminal law.” He added, “It appears that the court also acknowledged this and found him guilty.” [View full article] - "I'm planning to register my marriage"... BJ receives probation for stealing a large amount of money under the pretext of marriage (link)