[Law Firm Now] Deoksu, a Law Firm with 52 Years of Tradition... Excelling in Media and Entertainment Fields

Leading Defense in 1970 Political Cases at Inception... Strength in Criminal and Constitutional Litigation
CEO Kim Hyung-tae "Focusing on Substance Over Size"
Active in Broadcasting, Media, Publishing, and Webtoon Fields

From the left, lawyers Jeong Min-young, Im Ae-ri, Lee Dae-ho, and Yoon Cheon-woo of Deoksu Law Firm, Chief Lawyer Kim Hyeong-tae, and lawyers Shin Dong-mi, Koo Jeong-mo, and Kim Jun-woo.
[Photo by Deoksu Law Firm]

Deoksu Law Firm is a traditional law firm that began in 1970 near Deoksugung Palace in Seoul under the name "Deoksu Joint Law Office," founded by former Supreme Court Justice Goh Jae-ho and other judges-turned-lawyers. With over 52 years of history this year, the firm has provided excellent and high-quality client-centered legal services based on extensive experience, while also dedicating itself to the promotion of public interest and human rights in our society.

From the 1970s through the 1990s, Deoksu Law Firm led numerous political case defenses, building trust with clients by demonstrating strength in criminal cases, constitutional litigation, and more. Currently, skilled lawyers in various legal fields such as public interest and human rights, construction and real estate, finance and insurance, corporate law, intellectual property rights, culture and entertainment, family law, and civil and criminal litigation provide high-quality legal services.

Kim Hyung-tae, the managing partner who joined Deoksu in 1989 as a founding member of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (LDS) and a graduate of the 13th Judicial Research and Training Institute class, stated, "Rather than expanding the size of the firm, we have strived to respect the individuality of our members and focus on substance." He added, "I feel proud that, based on the trust Deoksu has built over many years, our lawyers have recently achieved significant results in various fields."

One of the areas where Deoksu lawyers have stood out in recent years is the media and entertainment sector. Lawyer Jung Min-young (2nd Bar Exam), a former reporter for The Hankyoreh newspaper and a member of the 5th Broadcasting and Communications Review Committee, has handled various disputes related to media reports, including broadcast injunctions and defamation correction requests. She has also participated as legal counsel from the early stages of drama and film production. Recently, she secured a provisional injunction against Mr. A, who claimed joint copyright over the script, on behalf of the production company of the SBS drama "Beopjjeon" (Law Money).

Lawyer Koo Jung-mo (3rd Bar Exam) joined Deoksu Law Firm recently after a long career at a major law firm advising broadcasters and entertainment companies, as well as serving at the Blue House. He handles comprehensive dispute responses ranging from portrait rights, publicity rights, copyrights, and trademark issues to advertising contracts, investment attraction, management rights defense, and various criminal responses. While working at the Blue House, he directly managed the president’s broadcasting appearance contracts and publishing contracts, and successfully secured no-indictment decisions in prosecutorial investigations for several famous entertainers.

Lawyer Lim Ae-ri (1st Bar Exam) has actively taken on legal disputes occurring inside and outside the cultural and artistic community while providing legal advice to various artist organizations and associations such as the Korea Cartoonists Association and the Korea Artists Welfare Foundation. She has handled cases including criminal complaints against agencies for fraud and interference with child actors’ entertainment activities, as well as copyright infringement and damages claims related to the publication rights of a Buddhist monk’s book.

Since 2023, Lawyer Kim Sung-joo (4th Bar Exam), appointed as a Copyright Protection Review Committee member, has been actively participating in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Webtoon Win-Win Council and the Korea Creative Content Agency’s Content Business Advisory Group. Kim also serves as the spokesperson for the countermeasure committee regarding the socially controversial case involving webtoon artist Lee Woo-young of "Black Rubber Shoes."

Lawyers Yoon Young-hwan (31st Judicial Research and Training Institute class), Lim Ae-ri, Kim Sung-joo, and Shin Ha-na (6th Bar Exam) compiled their experiences providing legal advice inside and outside the webtoon industry and published a book last year titled "Webtoon Artists Now Have Lawyer Friends." Although the media and entertainment industry has recently received considerable attention, it remains a sensitive area heavily influenced by internal and external environments. Deoksu lawyers have expressed their determination to further expand their scope of activities based on the expertise and trust they have secured so far.