[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office has launched an investigation into former Supreme Court Justice Kwon Soon-il, who stirred controversy by serving as an advisor at Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management without registering as a lawyer amid allegations of preferential treatment in the Daejang-dong development project.
On the 24th, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced, "We have transferred the case accusing former Justice Kwon of violating the Attorney-at-Law Act and other charges to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office today and instructed them to conduct a direct investigation." It is known that former Justice Kwon began serving as an advisor to Hwacheon Daeyu two months after his retirement in September last year and received advisory fees amounting to 15 million KRW per month. During this process, suspicions arose that he may have violated the Attorney-at-Law Act by advising Hwacheon Daeyu without formally registering as a lawyer.
Earlier, organizations such as the Lawyers for Human Rights and Unification of Korea filed a complaint with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office the previous day, accusing former Justice Kwon of post-retirement bribery, violations of the Public Officials Ethics Act, and the Attorney-at-Law Act. In July last year, former Justice Kwon had expressed a not guilty opinion in the appeal trial of Governor Lee's violation of the Public Official Election Act.
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