Press Coverage

Meeting through a chat app... “I didn’t have sex.” Denial. Court: “Possibly confused with someone else.” An office worker in his 40s who was indicted on charges of having sex with a middle school student he met through a chat app was found not guilty. On the 17th of last month, the Daegu District Court acquitted Mr. A, a man who had been put on trial on charges of raping a minor. Mr. A was accused of having sexual intercourse with B, a middle school girl, at a motel in 2023, despite knowing that she was a minor. However, while Mr. A acknowledged that they entered the lodging establishment together, he refuted that he did not have sexual intercourse. Ms. B's tone and behavior were strange, so she tried to escape, but Ms. B screamed and blocked her. He also claimed that he did not know his exact age because his age was not properly recorded in the profile of the app through which he communicated with Ms. B. The court found him not guilty. The court said, “The victim met several men over a short period of time, and the genes of men other than the defendant were detected in the victim’s clothes.” He added, “While he makes detailed statements about his relationships with other people, his statements about the defendant lack consistency and specificity.” At the same time, he added, “We cannot rule out the possibility that the victim confused the defendant with another person and made his statement,” and added, “It is difficult to reject the defendant’s claim of innocence and say that there is enough credibility to be confident that the facts of the indictment are true.” Lawyer Jeon Hyeong-oh of Daeryun Law Firm, who represented Mr. A, explained, "For an adult to be guilty of rape of a minor, he must have intention, knowing that the other person was under the age of 16. In this case, Mr. A had no physical opportunity to attempt sexual intercourse with B. This was proven based on data such as genetic testing and the victim's statement." Digital Content Team[View full article] “Different male genes detected”... A man in his 40s was found not guilty on charges of sexual intercourse with a minor (link)

As domestic intellectual property (IP) infringement cases have recently increased and the demand for related laws is rapidly increasing, Daeryun Law Firm announced on the 15th that it is strengthening its response by recruiting a large number of patent and intellectual property experts. According to data released by the Supreme Court, the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and the National Intellectual Property Commission in March, the average number of domestic patent infringement civil lawsuits filed over the past five years (2018-2022) was approximately 92 per year, and the average processing period was 19 months (581 days). However, the citation rate was found to be only around 20%, which is significantly lower than the global level (70% in the United States, 80% in China, etc.). Meanwhile, the number of cases in which domestic companies participated in the Korean Intellectual Property Office's industrial property rights dispute mediation last year was 160, the highest ever. Accordingly, there are growing voices in the industry that companies must prepare countermeasures against intellectual property rights. In line with this trend, Daeryun expanded and reorganized its intellectual property group and launched the 'Intellectual Property One Team', which is composed of experts with extensive practical experience in the courts and the Korean Intellectual Property Office. A key member is Lee Da-woo, a lawyer who has worked as a judge at the Patent Court and the Seoul Central District Court. Attorney Lee, who recently joined the team, is a hands-on talent with a deep understanding of patent litigation and technology dispute structures. While working at Yulchon Law Firm, he overturned and overturned the lower court's ruling regarding the export of trade secrets of an automobile parts company and resulted in an acquittal. Attorney Minwoo Cho, who served as an examiner at the Korean Intellectual Property Office and a technical examiner at the Seoul Central District Court, is also a key member. Having handled technology-related cases in both the executive branch and the judiciary, he provides legal advice and supports litigation response based on multi-layered analysis and practical interpretation. In addition, Tae-Hwan Kim and Joo-Mi Lim, who are registered intellectual property rights lawyers registered with the Korean Bar Association and have been active in numerous patent disputes and corporate litigation, will join and add to the group's capabilities. Haeseong Kang, a patent attorney who served as a technical examiner at the Patent Court and an adjudicator at the Korean Intellectual Property Office, also joins the group. Patent Attorney Kang is an expert with experience in everything from examination and trial to judicial decision processes, and has specialized capabilities in responding to technology-centered disputes. In addition, patent attorney Minhee Ma, who has performed significant intellectual property rights work, including trademark disputes for large corporations and advising on character trademark applications, will also be present. In particular, Patent Attorney Ma has led many successful results in overseas-related cases, such as agreements on the coexistence of global trademarks and responses to overseas trademark brokerage and infringement. In addition, expert Nami Kwak, a patent attorney specializing in U.S. applications, has joined the team and is providing advice on domestic and foreign patent applications and international intellectual property rights issues. Commissioner Kwak worked at an American patent law firm and was in charge of analyzing and establishing strategies for numerous patent applications, including licensing contracts with overseas companies. Through this reorganization, Daeryun's Intellectual Property Group plans to strengthen legal services in all areas of intellectual property rights, including responding to patent and design rights infringements, as well as responding to copyright disputes related to AI and software, protecting brand and trademark rights, and intellectual property rights contracts and licensing disputes. CEO Daeryun Kim Kook-il said, "Intellectual property rights are an important factor that determines a company's core competitiveness in an era of technological innovation and globalization." He added, "In particular, at a time when technology and creativity are important, issues related to intellectual property rights that companies face are becoming more complex." He then said, “As Daeryun Intellectual Property Group is comprised of a group of experts with both theory and practice, we will provide a one-stop legal solution to protect our clients’ rights.” Reporter Lee Dong-jun (blondie@segye.com)[View full article] Segye Ilbo - Increasing demand for intellectual property rights laws... Daeryun Law Firm responds on all fronts with a ‘one team’ system (click here) Sejeong Ilbo - Increasing demand for intellectual property law... Daeryun Law Firm Launches ‘One Team’ for All-round Response (Click here) Seoul Shinmun - Daeryun Law Firm Recruits Intellectual Property Rights Expert... Strengthening response to increased legal demand (Click here) Blotter - [Law Firm ON] Daeryun launches ‘One Team’ for intellectual property rights (Click here) Tax and Finance News - Daeryun Law Firm establishes a ‘one team’ system in the intellectual property sector… One-stop solution provided (click here)

A public official who was suspected of using the business operation budget for personal purposes was cleared of charges. According to the legal community on the 14th, the Gyeonggi Northern Police Agency decided not to forward Mr. A, who was booked on charges of breach of duty, forgery of official documents and events, etc. on the 12th of last month. While working as a public servant from February 2017 to June of last year, Mr. A carried out youth-related projects and used a corporate card a total of 33 times. He is accused of using a budget worth about 2 million won for personal purposes. He was also accused of forging official documents by arbitrarily putting their seals on them while writing an operating business plan for this crime without obtaining approval from the head of the government office or department head. Mr. A completely denied the charges, saying that he actually carried out work even on days off such as vacations and childcare hours. Mr. A claimed, “When I was on sick leave, after receiving treatment, I returned and held a meeting with other people. In this process, I used conference fees, etc., and this cannot be considered fraudulent use. The official seal was also taken with permission after an oral report was made to superiors.” The police believed that there was insufficient evidence to admit Mr. A’s charges. It is judged that it cannot be concluded that the meeting did not proceed just because Mr. A applied for vacation, etc., as claimed by Mr. A. Attorney Jeong Jae-bong of Daeryun Law Firm, who represented Mr. A, said, “This issue was a problem because Mr. A used the budget at the time of using annual leave, or the attendees listed on the budget application were different from the actual attendees.” “We only prepared and submitted a business plan according to requests while carrying out the project, and there was no intention or purpose of forgery or event,” he said, adding, “All of Mr. A’s budget usage details in question in this case were used for actual purposes.” Reporter Kwon Byeong-seok (bsk730@fnnews.com)[View full article] Civil servant accused of ‘suspicion of misappropriation of legal documents’ ‘non-transferred’… Why? (Shortcut)

The court ruled that a debtor who had lent money to an acquaintance and failed to repay it, calling it 'gambling money', must pay the full amount. According to the legal community on the 14th, the Gangneung branch of the Chuncheon District Court ruled in favor of all the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by plaintiff A against defendant B on the 11th of last month to claim the return of the loan. Person A, who worked as a hold'em pub dealer, gave business funds, living expenses, Approximately 12 million won was lent to him in the name of repaying existing gambling debts. However, Mr. B refused to repay the amount, claiming that the money he received was 'illegal wages' that he is not obligated to repay under civil law. According to Article 746 of the Civil Code, when property or labor is provided for illegal reasons, the return of the profits cannot be claimed. Accordingly, Mr. A filed a lawsuit. There was no reason to lend gambling funds to Mr. B. During the trial, Mr. A continued to discourage Mr. B from gambling, and emphasized that at the time, Mr. B borrowed money, citing the need for business funds, not gambling. The court ruled in Mr. A's favor. The court explained, "It is acknowledged that the defendant asked the plaintiff to lend him money needed for business or earnestly asked him to borrow money to repay existing gambling debts." Also, "Even if the plaintiff knew of the defendant's gambling, some of the loan money was "It appears to have been paid for living expenses unrelated to the defendant's gambling, and the remaining funds are not new gambling funds, but to repay already incurred gambling debts, so they cannot be considered wages for illegal causes," said Park Da-jeong, a lawyer at Daeryun Law Firm who served as Mr. A's legal representative. “We were able to obtain a favorable ruling by proving the purpose, such as repayment of existing debt or business funds,” he said. Shin Min-ji (sourminjee@ikbc.co.kr)[View full article] When I asked him to repay the money, he said, "There is no obligation to repay with gambling funds." The law said, "Pay the full amount." (Shortcut)

Former lawmaker Choi In-ho gives a lecture at the '55th Supply Depot Relocation and Maritime Cluster Creation Meeting' A meeting was held in Dong-gu, Busan, where the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is moving, on the relocation of the US 55th Supply Depot and the redevelopment of the North Port, which are major areas of interest in the region. Green Life and others held a meeting in the conference room on the 5th floor of Busan Station on the 13th and said, "The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and HMM headquarters will also move to the North Port! Revival of the original downtown, now is the opportunity." shouted. About 20 people attended the event, including former National Assembly member Choi In-ho, city council member Jeon Won-seok, district councilor Lee Im-seon (Saha-gu), doctors, lawyers, construction and real estate industry workers, and citizens. First, in the case of Supply Depot 55, the problem of contaminated soil from a nearby apartment construction site was also pointed out in the government audit, but Busan City criticized that there was no significant movement after Mayor Park Hyeong-jun's statement of 'active review' and ordered 'speed'. Some expressed concerns about health issues for nearby residents. University professor A pointed out, "There are almost no cases of epidemiological investigation of old military bases, but the 55th Supply Depot should not stop at just moving troops, but should also investigate the level of contamination of surrounding groundwater and exposure to volatile substances." Baek Hae-ju, CEO of Green Life, also said that there is a need to discuss practical policies for Busan's development, including the water purification issue of nearby Dongcheon, which is a waste of budget, and said, "Above all, the space where the 55th Supply Depot left was should be created as a park, and no other facilities or buildings, such as apartments, should be built." There was also great interest in hosting a maritime specialized court. Park Dong-il, CEO of Daeryun Law Firm, said, “Without a maritime court, we rely on foreign courts and arbitration institutions such as the UK, Singapore, and China, causing dispute costs of approximately 200 billion to 500 billion won to be leaked overseas every year.” He added, “The maritime court is essential for quick and accurate rulings, establishment of maritime sovereignty, and strengthening industrial competitiveness.” Attorney Choi Yong-ki also emphasized, "Some see it as a competitive structure with Incheon City in relation to hosting the Maritime Court, but before competing for the big house or the small house, international case-related work must be brought to Busan. This will be a great help in practical regional development, such as the development of the Northern Sea Route, which is also President Lee Jae-myung's pledge, and the development of related industries and human resources training." The issue of relocating Sajik Baseball Stadium to the North Port was also discussed. Park Young-bok, a construction company executive, selected 'creation of the North Port Sports + Culture Complex' as Busan's task for balanced development, along with the 55th Supply Depot, Gadeok New Airport, and the relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and related organizations. He said, “In terms of citizen response and cultural tourism, a facility that combines a dome-type baseball stadium and an arena-level performance hall is desirable, but a comprehensive review is needed that links construction costs with the Sajik Baseball Stadium reconstruction plan.” In addition, it was proposed to install a library, swimming pool, and outdoor performance hall in the space where Sajik Baseball Stadium left. Former lawmaker Choi In-ho, the guest speaker, said, "I believe that communication between the Ministry of National Defense and Busan City is important regarding the issue of relocating the 55th Supply Depot. I will look for a role that will help the citizens of Busan." He went on to say, “There is a lot of interest in the development of the North Port, which will change the future food map of Busan.” He added, “Conflicts will be reduced and the positive function will be maximized if we approach it from the perspective of Busan’s overall development, rather than attracting specific facilities and institutions to specific local governments.” In particular, regarding the first phase of the North Port development, “There are criticisms that development centered on apartments and officetels by special interest groups is gaining momentum, and all citizens are indignant. If you combine the first, second, and third phases, it will become a wonderful world-class city that will surpass New York City.” “This will happen, so we need to correct this before it’s too late,” he emphasized. Regarding the development of the site behind Sajik Baseball Stadium, he expressed caution, saying that although libraries and swimming pools are good, there will be people who will be disappointed and there will be voices opposing it. The housing issue of Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries officials was also discussed, especially among citizens of Dong-gu, the location of the 55th Supply Depot and the relocation site of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Jeong Nam-jin, CEO of J Real Estate Brokerage Corporation, said, “Approximately 32,000 new apartments will be supplied near the North Port from 2026 to 2031,” adding, “By utilizing the residential land and residential-commercial complex land within the second phase of the North Port site, we will be able to support the settlement of employees of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and related organizations.” Seo Jin-seok, Yeongnam headquarters reporter (sisa533@sisajournal.com)[View full article] “Apartment-focused North Port development will face citizen anger” (link)

Upload to the bulletin board without modification...Only paid members can download. Attorney Kim Tae-hwan, "Possibility of copyright protection...Cannot be provided only by payment of a price." Controversy is brewing as the university lecture site 'UniStudy', a subsidiary of the education company Megastudy (CEO Son Seong-eong), collects university midterm and final exam questions in exchange for cash compensation. In particular, criticism has been raised that the submitted test papers are inappropriate as they are uploaded to the bulletin board in their original text without modification and are provided only to paid members. There is also criticism that this kind of behavior was used as a means to secure members for ‘Unistudy.’ On the 1st, Megastudy posted an event through its application 'Cube' and university lecture site 'Unistudy' announcements, offering Shinsegae gift certificates to college students if they submit mid-term and final exam papers and genealogy. 'Cube' announced that it collects the most recent five years' worth of test papers from each university's midterm and final exams in an email format. If you submit only the test questions, you will receive a 10,000 won Shinsegae gift certificate, and if you submit an explanation of the correct answers, you will receive a 15,000 won voucher. According to the notice, the submitted test papers will not be returned and can be used as content creation materials for the subsidiary ‘UniStudy’. 'UniStudy' also stated that, limited to the most recent 5-year test papers, all who took a photo of the past exam paper and uploaded their genealogy would receive a 5,000 won gift certificate from CU Convenience Store and 20,000 won Unistudy points, and 7 people would receive a 30,000 won voucher from Shinsegae Department Store. Article 32 of the Copyright Act allows the reproduction and distribution of published works only for the purpose of evaluating knowledge and skills, such as entrance exams or qualification tests, but does not apply for commercial purposes. Since Megastudy announced that it will use the test paper to produce educational content, it can be interpreted that it has a clear commercial purpose. Another problem is that Megastudy uploaded the collected test papers to its bulletin board in their original text without modification. Since the test paper containing the test taker's original text is not a secondary work that has been summarized or edited, it is pointed out that it may be subject to copying and public transmission under copyright law. In particular, this material appears to be intended for commercial use as it is set to be downloadable only to paid members. A similar case in the past is the ‘Jokbo.com’ incident, which collected and provided high school test questions without permission. Regarding this case, the Seoul High Court judge ruled that “the test questions are creative works, and unauthorized collection and commercial use is copyright infringement.” The court ruled, "The plaintiffs, who are teachers, made a mental effort to measure the academic performance of students at their school and calculate their grades in accordance with their educational philosophy and presented the test questions in this case without copying others. Since it is recognized that there is a minimum of creativity in the expression of the questions and the expression of the proposed answers in the questions presented, it is reasonable to believe that the test questions in this case are works protected by copyright law." The legal community also pointed out that Megastudy's collection of university exam papers was inappropriate. Kim Tae-hwan, a lawyer at Daeryun Law Firm, explained, "University test questions are likely to be protected as copyrighted works. There is creative expression in the part that makes up the question, and because the expression, not the idea itself, is protected, problems that involve the professor's expert knowledge and creative judgment can be protected by copyright." He continued, “We cannot freely provide test questions to paid members because we did not obtain permission from the professor, the copyright owner, or the school, the transferee, but simply paid a monetary price.” A similar method can be seen in Megastudy’s ‘Unistudy’s ‘Unipass’. ‘Unipass’, a refund program for paid lectures, is a system that refunds tuition to students who achieve a certain grade standard, and requires submission of test papers as a condition for refund. This can also be interpreted as a structure to secure someone else's copyrighted work in exchange for monetary compensation. Megastudy has taken a strong stance against illegal copying or unauthorized distribution of its textbooks. In fact, in the past, we have taken strong action, such as demanding an apology from those who illegally spread it and posting this on our website. In this event, it is pointed out that it is inconsistent with the attitude it has shown so far in that it attempted to collect the works of university test takers and use them for its own content. This paper contacted Megastudy, but Megastudy did not issue a statement on the related controversy.[View full article] [Exclusive] Megastudy, ‘paid collection’ of university test papers… File a claim of copyright infringement (Go here)

A man he met through an app...showed off his wealth to win favor and recommend investment. The court said, "He committed the crime while on probation for a similar crime. He needs to be severely punished." A man who stole hundreds of millions of won by taking advantage of the goodwill of the other person he found out through a smartphone application was sentenced to prison. According to the legal community on the 10th, the Jeonju District Court sentenced a man in his 30s, A, who was indicted on fraud charges on the 26th of last month to 6 years in prison. He is accused of stealing about 400 million won by contacting nine people, including Mr. B, whom he met. As a result of the investigation, Mr. A approached the victims by showing off his wealth, gained their favor, and then encouraged them to invest. The prosecution believes that Mr. A committed this crime for the purpose of repaying personal debt. During the trial, the victims pleaded for severe punishment, saying that Mr. A had repeatedly delayed repayment, saying he would repay the money. The court said, "The defendant deceived many victims. He said, "A large amount of money was defrauded," and "Above all, he committed the crime while on probation for a similar crime, so he needs to be severely punished." He then said, "The defendant also paid the defrauded money to some victims as a way to prevent them from committing additional crimes." He said, "It is difficult to evaluate that he purely restored the damage to the victims, and he was not forgiven by most of the victims." He stated the reason for sentencing. Daeryun Law Firm, which served as legal representation for the victim, Mr. B. Attorney Lee Jae-hyung explained, "Mr. A created expectations by making it seem like he would return some of the swindled money, preventing them from reporting it to the investigative agency," and added, "This was an act that caused additional damage to the victims, and the court appears to have judged this situation to be very poor and imposed a severe punishment." Shin Min-ji (sourminjee@ikbc.co.kr)[View full article] A man in his 30s who defrauded nine people of hundreds of millions of won through a 'romance scam'...sent 6 years in prison (link)

Daeryun Law Firm announced on the 8th that it will strengthen the establishment of a legal support system for public interest reporting and investigation by signing an MOU with the National Coalition for Reporting Corruption in Public Officials (KOFIC) and the International Federation of Detectives. Daeryun Law Firm announced on the 8th that it will strengthen the establishment of a legal support system for public interest reporting and investigation. “This will be the starting point of a working-level solidarity model to realize social justice.” Daeryun Law Firm announced on the 8th that it will strengthen the establishment of a legal support system for public interest reporting and investigations. The agreement ceremony held at the Seoul Public Interest Activities Support Center on July 4th was held at the Seoul Public Interest Activities Support Center on July 4th. Key working-level staff, including Kim Dal-moon, head of the Seoul General Headquarters, and Na Yoo-in, president of the International Association of Detectives, attended. The Public Corruption Association is a nationwide civic group that aims to monitor corruption in the public sector and promote public interest reporting. We are leading public discussion activities to suggest alternatives to social corruption issues, demand disclosure of information, and spread a culture of integrity. The International Association of Detectives is an international private investigation network that aims to establish an institutional foundation in the field of detectives and private investigations, cultivate professional manpower, and establish legalization of investigative activities. It is leading the specialization of private investigations in various fields such as information collection, fact confirmation, fraud, disappearance, and illegal activity investigation. With this agreement, each organization will △ establish a system for legal support and reputation protection of public interest informants △ legal advice and review of results of corruption reporting and investigation activities, and △ private investigation activities. We plan to pursue various tasks such as providing guidance on interpretation of related laws and legal activities, jointly conducting ethics and compliance surveys for public institutions and local governments, establishing a counseling system to protect the socially disadvantaged and informants of illegal activities, and holding joint seminars, forums, and workshops for public interest campaigns. Na Yu-in, president of the International Association of Detectives, said, “The field of detectives performs the function of supporting social justice by revealing facts and truth.” “Through collaboration with Daeryun, we will increase institutional stability and social trust in the detective industry,” said Kim Dal-moon, head of Gongsinyeon. “In order for citizen reports to lead to changes in the system, the presence of legal experts is essential, and this agreement will serve as the foundation for action toward the public interest.” Daeryun Kim Gook-il, CEO of Daeryun Law Firm, said, “Daeryun will be a practical helper to ensure that public interest reports, private investigations, and citizen activities are not blocked by legal restrictions.” “We hope that this agreement will be a meaningful starting point as a working-level solidarity model.” Meanwhile, each agency plans to form a regular working-level consultative body in the future to carry out specific follow-up cooperation tasks step by step, such as joint response to various reported cases, development of legal manuals, and proposals for public interest protection legislation. Reporter Son Dong-wook, Lawleader twson@lawleader.co.kr Law Leader - MOU with Daeryun Law Firm, Korea Institute of Public Prosecution, and International Association of Detectives (Click here) Tax and Finance Newspaper - Daeryun, Public Correspondence Research Institute, and International Association of Detectives, public interest reporting and support business agreement (link) Sejeong Ilbo - Daeryun Law Firm, MOU signed with Korea Institute of Public Prosecution & International Detectives Association (Click here) Segye Ilbo - MOU with Daeryun Law Firm, Korea Institute of Public Prosecution & International Detectives Association (Click here) Venture Square - Daeryun Law Firm signed an MOU with Korea Institute of Public Safety and Security and the International Association of Detectives (Click here)

A man in his 20s was sentenced to prison for committing a sex crime by secretly recording a private conversation with a teenage female student and forcing them to meet. On the 11th of last month, the Daejeon District Court sentenced Mr. In addition, a 10-year ban on employment at child and youth-related institutions and 5 years of probation after the end of the sentence were ordered. Mr. A was accused of sexually assaulting Ms. B, a teenage female student whom he met through a mobile messenger last year, and filming the incident. As a result of the investigation, it was confirmed that Mr. A had recorded the sexual conversation that took place on the phone with the victim without permission and then used this as an excuse to encourage them to meet. Person B said that Mr. A came to his house and forced him to drink alcohol and committed this crime. He appealed for severe punishment, claiming that he committed the crime. In response, Mr. A denied the charges, saying, “The relationship was consensual.” This is because Ms. B answered ‘I understand’ when asked for consent before having sex. The court sentenced Mr. A to prison. The court ruled, "At the time of the crime, the victim's resistance was already suppressed by the defendant's threat to distribute the recording file," and "The victim's passive response of 'I understand' right before sexual intercourse cannot be viewed as a true exercise of sexual self-determination." It also said, "The method of the crime was very vicious, as he threatened the victim with a recording file, forced a meeting, and even committed adultery." He added, "He even committed the crime in his residence while the victim's parents were away. He stated the reason for the sentencing, saying, "Severe punishment of isolation from society, including not receiving forgiveness from the victim, is inevitable." Lawyer Hwang Se-jeong of Daeryun Law Firm, who represented Ms. B, said, "This case was not just a simple sexual assault, but a serious criminal act that destroyed the victim's personality through online media." He added, "Nevertheless, it appears that the court imposed a heavy punishment because Mr. Reporter Hwang Jeong-won (jwhwang@mt.co.kr)[View full article] Threatened to "disseminate"... A man in his 20s was sentenced to prison for following a teenage girl to her home and committing a crime (link)

In sexual crimes, the victim's statement is often used as the main evidence. Therefore, even in situations where the suspect has been falsely accused, it is difficult for the suspect to defend himself. In particular, since rape and other sexual assault cases occur in private spaces, a truth battle must be waged to determine the truth, and in this process, actual damage such as social stigma can grow uncontrollably. The most important thing when caught up in sexual crime allegations is an accurate initial response and prompt securing of evidence. Before an investigation agency begins a full-scale investigation, they must systematically collect data that can prove their innocence. For example, text messages or messenger conversations with the other person, call records, photos, location information, CCTV footage that shows the circumstances of the meeting, and statements from bystanders can be crucial evidence to refute criminal charges. If there is data that can prove that the complainant was not at the time or place claimed, or explain the context, it is necessary to compile it. Reports of false sexual crimes occur more often among close relationships such as lovers and acquaintances than among strangers. After a relationship breaks down, emotional conflict or revenge comes into play, leading to exaggeration of the situation and false accusations. Looking at an actual case, there was a case where a boyfriend who broke up with his girlfriend was accused of sexual assault. The client protested that it was a normal encounter unrelated to sexual violence, but had difficulty in defending the case due to the specific statement of the accuser, his ex-girlfriend. In this case, the defense attorney focused on proving his innocence by collecting various records of messages exchanged with his ex-lover, photos, and third party testimony. In particular, it was emphasized that the two continued to have peaceful conversations and natural encounters even after the date of the crime claimed by the accuser. In addition, a record of the other party sending greetings after a certain period of time after the breakup was submitted as evidence. Based on this, we were able to successfully change the perception of investigative agencies. As a result, the case was able to be closed with a decision of 'not forwarded' at the police stage. Attorney Seo Bong-ha of Daeryun Law Firm in Seongnam said, "Sex crimes are serious cases that leave irreparable defamation and social disadvantage to the suspect, so if you are wrongfully accused, you need a quick and precise legal response more than anything else. If you make an unfavorable statement while trying to respond in the first instance alone, it can make the subsequent situation more difficult, so we have extensive case experience from the beginning of the investigation. He said, “Getting help from a sex crime lawyer is the starting point for a safe defense.” Global Epic CP Lee Soo-hwan / lsh@globalepic.co.kr If you have been wrongfully implicated in a sex crime... Legal assistance is essential from the beginning of the investigation (link)