[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Ro&Company, the operator of the online legal platform service 'Lotok,' strongly opposed the Korea Bar Association's (KBA) disciplinary action against lawyers registered on the platform on the 5th, calling it the "worst decision."
Ro&Company stated on the same day, "The KBA's action will be recorded in history as the worst decision that significantly hinders the public's access to legal services, obstructs innovation in the legal market, and wastes the opportunity to expand the overall legal market share." They also rebutted the KBA's classification of the Lotok service as an "illegal online office manager," saying, "Since the launch of the Lotok service in 2014, we have never violated the Attorney-at-Law Act and have received a non-prosecution disposition from the prosecution." Furthermore, they argued, "The KBA disparages Lotok's efforts as not being innovative, but the fact that numerous consumers who previously found it difficult to meet lawyers when facing legal issues can now easily find and consult lawyers through Lotok, thereby resolving their legal problems, is itself innovation."
Earlier, the KBA announced that it would begin investigating lawyers registered on platforms including Lotok in accordance with the revised Attorney Ethics Code and lawyer advertising regulations, and would discipline the relevant lawyers in the future. The KBA amended the advertising regulations in May, stating that online legal platforms constitute illegal online office manager operations under the Attorney-at-Law Act, and this regulation took effect at midnight on the same day.
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