[Law Firm Now] Law Firm YK Launches 'Election Law Center' Ahead of General Election... "One-Stop Service from Consultation to Litigation"

Legal Advisory Team and Investigation·Trial Response Team Subdivided
Top Experts in Election, Investigation, and Trial Fields Deployed
Operated as a Permanent Organization, Not Temporary

Law Firm YK, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Law Firm YK

In anticipation of the 22nd National Assembly elections scheduled for April, law firm YK has drawn attention by establishing an Election Law Center (headed by Chief Attorney Yang Ho-san) to prepare for various legal disputes that may arise during the election process. Unlike major law firms in the past that formed temporary dedicated teams (task forces, TF) ahead of election seasons, YK plans to provide continuous one-stop services across all advisory and litigation areas even after the election.

Experts from Courts, Prosecution, National Assembly, and Administrative and Legislative Branches Heavily Positioned

According to the legal community on the 15th, YK opened an Election Response Center in March last year, providing advice and representation in various election law cases such as the 8th local elections and the 3rd agricultural, fisheries, and forestry cooperative elections. Building on this experience, YK launched the Election Law Center in October last year and reinforced its members by the official launch date of December 1.

The Election Law Center is divided into a Legal Advisory Team and an Investigation & Trial Response Team. It offers tailored legal services at every stage?from investigations by the National Election Commission, police and prosecution investigations, to trials?and provides thorough advice throughout the election campaign process.

The center is staffed with lawyers who have experience investigating and trying election crime cases, former prosecutors, lawyers who served as secretaries to National Assembly members handling policy and legislation, and experts who worked in the Presidential Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s Office.

The center is led by Chief Attorney Yang Ho-san (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 25), former head of the investigation division at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. Yang is a former ‘special investigation’ prosecutor who handled special investigations at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and frontline district prosecutors’ offices. During his tenure as a prosecutor, he investigated embezzlement cases involving SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and former KT Chairman Lee Seok-chae. He joined YK in November 2022 and has been handling finance, securities, and anti-corruption cases.

Lead attorneys of YK Election Law Center: Representative Attorney Ki-seon Lee, Representative Attorney Young-jae Lee, Representative Attorney Do-hyung Kim (from left). Photo by YK Law Firm

The Legal Advisory Team is led by Chief Attorney Lee Ki-seon (class 28), while the Investigation & Trial Response Team is led by Chief Attorneys Lee Young-jae (class 28) and Kim Do-hyung (class 30).

Chief Attorney Lee Ki-seon, a former senior judge at the Seoul Central District Court who leads the Legal Advisory Team, has experience presiding over numerous election crime trials, including donation violations and illegal election campaigns, as the head judge of the election division at the Gunsan branch of the Jeonju District Court. The Legal Advisory Team, responsible for election law advice and education, is composed of experts in public elections, politics, and legislation with experience working in courts, the National Assembly, the Presidential Secretariat, and the Prime Minister’s Office.

Lee is particularly recognized for his deep knowledge of election law theory and practice, having served as chairman of the election commission in Buk-gu, Gwangju, and Bundang-gu, Seongnam, while serving as a judge. After passing the 38th Judicial Examination in 1996 and working as a prosecutor until becoming a judge in 2010, he handled public security duties at the Busan Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office and Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office, investigating numerous election cases including the 16th presidential election, the 17th National Assembly election, and the 4th local elections.

Additionally, attorneys Kim Kyung (class 24), who served as senior judge at Cheongju District Court, Uijeongbu District Court Goyang branch, Seoul Northern District Court, and Seoul Central District Court, and Byun Min-seon (class 28), who served as senior judge at Jeju District Court, Uijeongbu District Court, and Seoul Central District Court, are also positioned at the center. Kim is an election law expert who served as chairman of election commissions in Cheongwon-gun, Chungbuk, Goyang City, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, and Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Attorney Lee Sang-young (passed bar exam 2nd), who oversees legal advisory operations, has experience working as a secretary to National Assembly members, handling policy, legislation, and overall National Assembly affairs. Attorney Lim Seok-pil (class 23), who served as head of the public security department at Busan District Prosecutors’ Office and chief of the 3rd criminal division at Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office Anyang branch, led investigations for the 5th local elections. Attorney Park Chan (class 12), former head judge of the election division at Gwangju District Court, will also participate as an advisor to support the team.

The Legal Advisory Team also includes Legislative Strategy Head Jung Chan-ho, who served as a policy research officer at the National Assembly, a secretary in a member’s office, and communication message secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, and Planning Head Choi Won-soon, who served as political secretary for Seoul City, administrative officer at the Presidential Secretariat, and policy advisor to the Minister of National Defense.

Jung, who worked as a National Assembly aide for 20 years, is regarded as a ‘policy expert’ and an outstanding staffer who anticipates political trajectories and policy directions ahead of lawmakers. Jung and Choi will coordinate between candidates and the law firm and provide top-level advice on election operations. The Legal Advisory Team plans to handle tasks such as ▲National Assembly legislative trends ▲explanations of election law ▲interpretations of voter regulations by the Central Election Commission ▲guidance on step-by-step precautions according to the election schedule. The Investigation & Trial Response Team, responsible for criminal responses, is composed of legal experts with specialized knowledge in election law, including former prosecutors from public security and special investigation divisions and those experienced in investigating election law violations.

Utilizing Nationwide Direct Branch Network to Provide Prompt Service to Non-Capital Region Clients

The Investigation & Trial Response Team is led by Chief Attorneys Kim Do-hyung, former head of the foreign affairs division at Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, and Lee Young-jae, former head of the public security division at Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Office.

Chief Attorney Kim Do-hyung is an election law expert who served as a prosecutor in the 6th criminal division (public security and special investigations) at Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office, and in public security divisions at Changwon, Incheon, and Busan District Prosecutors’ Offices. He also held positions as head of the foreign affairs division at Incheon and Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Offices and deputy chief prosecutor at Daegu Western District Prosecutors’ Office. He has experience investigating election crimes in the 17th National Assembly election, the 17th presidential election, and the 6th local elections. While serving as head of the public security division at Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office, he led a dedicated election crime task force composed of prosecutors and investigators in preparation for the 7th local elections.

Chief Attorney Lee Young-jae is a representative ‘public security expert’ who oversaw investigations for the 17th presidential election and the 19th National Assembly election during his tenure as a prosecutor.

Lee stated, “Since general elections are conducted based on population proportions, about half of our clients are from non-capital regions. By utilizing YK’s unique direct management system with 27 branches, we can provide prompt and uniform services to these clients.”

Chief Attorney Cheon Ki-hong (class 32), who investigated the 18th National Assembly election and bribery cases involving county governors at the Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office Criminal Division 2, is also positioned at the center. Cheon has served as deputy chief prosecutor at Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, head of the organized crime division at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, chief prosecutor at Nonsan branch of Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office, and head of the anti-corruption and violent crime cooperation division at Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. Additionally, the Investigation & Trial Response Team includes Attorney Lee Jin-ho (class 30), former head of the violent crime division at Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, who led investigations into bribery cases involving high-ranking officials, and Attorney Hong Sung-joon (class 34), who investigated bribery and perjury cases involving relatives of former presidents and financial group chairmen.

Chief Attorney Kim Do-hyung advised, “As elections progress, various election law violations such as false fact announcements are significantly increasing. Election crimes have a short statute of limitations of six months, so investigations and inquiries by various agencies proceed very quickly, making professional and proactive early responses by experts essential.”

According to the prosecution, during the 20th presidential election in 2022, 2,001 people were booked on charges including false fact announcements such as ‘fake news dissemination,’ and 609 were prosecuted. The number of bookings more than doubled compared to the 19th presidential election, which had 878 bookings. Although the number of bookings increased significantly compared to the previous election, the prosecution rate dropped sharply. The prosecution rate for the 20th presidential election cases was 30.4%, about half of the 19th presidential election (58.3%) and the 18th presidential election (57.9%). The surge in baseless complaints and accusations against major candidates is analyzed as the cause of the low prosecution rate relative to bookings. With the general election approaching and the ongoing intense confrontation between ruling and opposition parties, both sides experiencing internal conflicts over nominations, it is expected that accusations and complaints among candidates will continue in this election as well.

In this regard, YK’s Election Law Center plans to respond swiftly through organic cooperation between the Investigation & Trial Response Team and the Legal Advisory Team to investigations by the election commission, prosecution and police investigations, court trials related to candidates’ election law violations, as well as illegal acts by opposing candidates such as black propaganda, illegal publicity, election violence, and obstruction. Considering that general elections, local elections, and nationwide simultaneous cooperative elections alternate every four years and by-elections frequently arise, creating legal risks surrounding elections almost every year, the center plans to operate continuously.

Center head Yang Ho-san stated, “Unlike incumbent lawmakers who can provide election law advice through their affiliated parties, political newcomers or candidates outside the National Assembly often have nowhere appropriate to ask and thus frequently commit violations during the election process. We segmented the Election Law Center into advisory and investigation response teams to focus all capabilities on managing candidates’ legal risks both before and after elections,” expressing confidence.