Police Conduct Search and Seizure on Yang Bu-nam, Democratic Party Legal Committee Chair, Over Alleged Violation of Attorney Act

The police conducted a search and seizure at the office of Yang Bu-nam, the legal committee chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is suspected of collecting legal fees by promising to cover up an investigation into the operators of an online gambling site.

Yang Bu-nam, Chairman of the Legal Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea

According to the police on the 22nd, the Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency searched Yang’s law office located in Seo-gu, Gwangju, on the 15th, on suspicion of violating the Attorney-at-Law Act.

Yang is suspected of receiving a large sum of legal fees in November 2020 from the operators of an online gambling site in Daegu in exchange for covering up a police investigation.

According to the police, the amount of money received by the legal professionals involved in the case is known to approach approximately 280 million won, depending on the perspective.

The police plan to summon and investigate Yang after analyzing the seized items.

Meanwhile, Yang issued a statement in January denying the charges, saying, "I took on the gambling space establishment crime case after drafting a legal service contract, and the agreed legal fee of 90 million won was fully received through a corporate account and properly reported for tax purposes."