[Invest&Law] Lawyers from the 'Yang Seung-tae Judiciary' Shaking the Trial Landscape of Corporate Heads

2016~2017 Supreme Court Senior Research Judge
Yoo Haeyong, Lawyer at Kim & Chang Law Office
Chairman Choi Taewon Divorce Appeal Trial
Error Found in Calculating Daehan Telecom Stock Value
Lawyer Hong Seungmyeon Also Responds to Supreme Court Appeal
Lawyer Han Seung Joins Kim Beomsu's Defense Team

Recently, legal professionals who served under the "Yang Seung-tae judiciary" have been gaining attention in the legal community. Those who played key roles during Chief Justice Yang Seung-tae's tenure are particularly influencing the outcomes of trials involving major domestic conglomerate heads, significantly shifting the dynamics of courtroom battles.

Attorney Yoo Haeyong, Kim & Jang Law Office
Photo by Yonhap News

According to sources in the business and legal sectors on the 30th, attorney Yoo Hae-yong of Kim & Chang Law Office (Judicial Research and Training Institute class of 19) identified errors in the appellate court ruling in the divorce case between Choi Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, and Noh So-young, director of the Art Center Nabi. Yoo, who worked on Choi’s legal team, discovered a miscalculation in the valuation of Daehan Telecom (now SK C&C) shares by the Family Division 2 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Kim Si-cheol) while reviewing the ruling to consider whether to file an appeal. The court had calculated the value of Daehan Telecom shares at 8 won per share when Choi acquired them in November 1994, 100 won per share in May 1998 just before the passing of former chairman Choi Jong-hyun, and 35,650 won per share when SK C&C was listed in November 2009, concluding that the value had increased 355 times during Choi’s tenure.

Based on this, the court also determined the scale of property division, which was a key issue in the divorce case. However, Yoo and Choi’s side argued that the May 1998 value should have been calculated as 1,000 won per share, not 100 won, and thus the increase during Choi’s tenure should be seen as 35.6 times, not 355 times. The court promptly amended the relevant part of the ruling accordingly. This correction brought a new phase to the divorce case between Chairman Choi and Director Noh, raising the possibility of the Supreme Court overturning and remanding the case due to the error in the ruling. The retrial petition separately filed by Choi’s side regarding the correction is currently under review by the Supreme Court and a decision is expected soon.

Although Yoo did not officially appear as an attorney in Choi’s Supreme Court appeal, it is widely believed that he continues to support the trial behind the scenes. He held key positions during the "Yang Seung-tae judiciary," serving as a senior judicial research officer at the Supreme Court from 2014 to 2016 and as chief judicial research officer from 2016 to 2017. When allegations of judicial corruption involving former Chief Justice Yang Seung-tae surfaced, Yoo was considered a key figure in uncovering the truth. However, these allegations have not significantly hindered his career. As related parties have consecutively been acquitted, the legal community reportedly does not view experience under the Yang Seung-tae Supreme Court as a major issue. Yoo was indicted on charges of leaking Supreme Court documents related to the judicial corruption scandal but was acquitted in both the first and second trials, with the Supreme Court confirming the acquittal in 2021. Freed from these constraints, Yoo is demonstrating his skills in court, leveraging his expertise in reviewing rulings and interpreting cases developed since his days as a judge.

Other attorneys who held key positions during the Yang Seung-tae judiciary, such as Hong Seung-myeon (Judicial Research and Training Institute class of 18) and Han Seung (Judicial Research and Training Institute class of 18), are also drawing attention. Hong recently joined Chairman Choi’s legal team to respond to the Supreme Court appeal following Yoo. Hong served as a senior judicial research officer (2013?2014), chief judicial research officer (2014?2016), and head of the Judicial Support Office at the Court Administration Office (2016?2017) under former Chief Justice Yang. Han, who oversaw appellate court affairs as chief judicial research officer during the Yang Seung-tae Supreme Court, is supporting Kim Beom-su, chairman of Kakao’s Management Innovation Committee, who was detained on suspicion of manipulating SM Entertainment’s stock prices.