[Law Firms Today] Sejong Recruits Im Sejin, Former Ministry of Justice Prosecutors Division Chief and Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office Financial Investigation Division 1 Chief

Held Key Investigative and Planning Posts at the Ministry of Justice and Prosecution Service
Achieved Results in Investigations into Major Embezzlement Cases at Woori Bank and Gyeongnam Bank
Shin & Kim Expected to Strengthen Its Corporate Risk Response Capabilities

Attorney Im Sejin (34th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), who has held key investigative and planning posts in the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution service, including Director of the Prosecution Division at the Ministry of Justice, Director of the Criminal Justice Planning Division, and Chief Prosecutor of the Financial Investigation Division 1 at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, has joined Shin & Kim, LLC.

Shin & Kim announced on October 19 that it had recruited Im, former senior prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, to further strengthen its ability to provide comprehensive responses to the diverse criminal and regulatory risks faced by businesses.

Attorney Im Sejin, who joined Shin & Kim. Shin & Kim

Attorney Im graduated from Seoul Gyeonggi High School and Seoul National University College of Law. While attending the college, he passed the 44th National Judicial Examination in 2002. After completing the Judicial Research and Training Institute as a member of its 24th class, he served as a military legal officer and was appointed as a prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in 2008.

He subsequently served as a prosecutor in the Prosecution Division at the Ministry of Justice and at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office; Chief Prosecutor of the Asset Recovery Division at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office; Director of the Criminal Justice Planning Division and Director of the Prosecution Division at the Ministry of Justice; Chief Prosecutor of the Financial Investigation Division 1 and acting Chief Prosecutor of the Financial Investigation Division 2 at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office; and a prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office and the Seoul Metropolitan Prosecution Office before recently joining Shin & Kim.

During approximately 18 years as a prosecutor, Im handled investigations and trials in a wide range of areas, including financial and securities crimes, corporate and public-sector corruption, and the recovery of criminal proceeds.

In particular, while serving as Chief Prosecutor of the Financial Investigation Division 1 at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, he investigated various financial and securities crime cases, including unfair trading in the capital market and the use of material nonpublic information. As Chief Prosecutor of the Asset Recovery Division at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, he also achieved results in investigations into major cases.

In 2022, Im investigated the embezzlement of more than KRW 70 billion by Woori Bank executives and employees. He imposed strict penalties on those who assisted them for violating the Act on Regulation and Punishment of Criminal Proceeds Concealment, and tracked down and recovered concealed assets, helping the bank compensate for its losses with funds made up of public deposits. In recognition of his expertise, he was certified in January 2023 by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office as a specialist prosecutor in criminal proceeds recovery, earning the "Blue Belt" designation.

In 2023, Im also investigated an embezzlement case involving a Gyeongnam Bank employee, valued at KRW 300 billion and the largest such case in the banking industry. After apprehending the suspect, a financial division chief who had fled, he secured an indictment and conviction resulting in a 35-year prison sentence. He also tracked down the concealed assets and successfully recovered KRW 17.3 billion.

In addition, while serving as Director of the Prosecution Division and Director of the Criminal Justice Planning Division at the Ministry of Justice, Im handled work related to prosecutor appointments, organizational affairs and budgets, as well as major prosecution policies and organizational management. He also managed practical matters concerning prosecution administration as a whole, working with relevant institutions such as the National Assembly, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. He is regarded as having a deep understanding not only of investigative practice but also of the prosecution system and organizational operations.

Drawing on his extensive investigative and policy experience in major investigative departments and key positions at the Ministry of Justice, Im is expected to strengthen Shin & Kim's comprehensive response capabilities for complex corporate criminal and regulatory risks involving multiple interrelated issues, including capital markets, fair trade, embezzlement and breach of trust, corporate crime, tax crime, internal controls, and compliance.

"Criminal risks facing companies have become increasingly complex as they combine with regulations covering finance, capital markets, fair trade, tax, labor, and other areas," said Oh Jonghan, managing partner of Shin & Kim. "With Attorney Im joining us, bringing deep expertise across a range of fields from his service in key prosecution posts, Shin & Kim will provide more sophisticated and comprehensive solutions for companies dealing with criminal and regulatory risks."

Shin & Kim's Criminal Defense Group includes about 80 former prosecutors and police officers with extensive investigative experience, led by two managing partners: former Prosecutor General Mun Muil and former Daegu High Prosecutors' Office Chief Jang Youngsoo. The group has continued to strengthen its capabilities in both size and quality, including by recruiting former Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office Cheonan Branch Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Taehyung and former Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Seongnam Branch Criminal Division 3 Chief Prosecutor Shin Seungho in June. Building on this, it provides one-stop solutions for criminal matters, from initial investigative responses through trial.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.