"Must Prepare for Evidence Loss Due to Investigative Delays"... Law Firm One Presents Criminal Response Strategies

Law Firm One Holds Seminar on "Changes in Criminal Practice and Corporate Responses"
"Changing Investigative Environment Brings More Variables"

From left: attorneys Im Changguk, Son Byeongho, and Ko Inseon (provided by Law Firm Won)

Amid a growing number of variables in case handling as the criminal justice system changes, including the establishment of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, a seminar was held to explore effective legal risk management for companies and response strategies at each stage of an investigation.

Law Firm One, whose managing attorneys are Yun Giwon, Lee Yujeong, and Kim Gyeonghwan, held a seminar titled “Changes in Criminal Practice and Corporate Responses” on November 9 in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, in partnership with the Korea In-house Counsel Association.

The seminar was organized to assess the changing investigative environment and provide practical guidelines that corporate legal and compliance officers and in-house counsel can apply to actual cases. The first session opened with a presentation titled “Understanding the Changed Investigative System and Corporate Response Strategies” by attorney Im Changguk, a former deputy chief prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office and chief prosecutor at the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office. “As the overhaul of the investigative system has increased the number of variables in case handling, companies’ response capabilities and their lawyers’ strategies have become more important than ever,” Im said. “In particular, companies should systematically manage relevant materials on an ongoing basis and assess legal risks in advance to prepare for the possible loss of evidence due to investigative delays.”

In the second session, attorney Son Byeongho took the stage. A graduate of the Korean National Police University, Son has worked in the field, including in the investigation divisions of local police stations and the National Police Agency’s voice phishing task force. He discussed changes to police investigation procedures, including objections to decisions not to refer cases to prosecutors and responses to investigative delays, citing vivid real-world cases. “The key to corporate risk management is to respond swiftly and thoroughly at the outset of a police investigation, from the respective perspectives of the complainant and the suspect,” he said.

The third session featured attorney Go Inseon, who has served as a prosecutor and as director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Legal Support Division, giving her expertise in the practical work of both investigative agencies and administrative authorities. She presented on “The Special Judicial Police Investigation System and Corporate Response Strategies.” Go analyzed the current system for investigations by special judicial police, in which prosecutors no longer direct investigations, and outlined specific points companies should consider both when filing complaints or accusations and when they become the subject of an investigation.

Presentations were followed by a question-and-answer session and networking with attendees. Corporate legal officers gathered at the event discussed practical solutions to real-world issues, including choosing an investigative agency, responding to search and seizure operations, and filing objections to decisions not to refer cases to prosecutors. Lee Yujeong, managing attorney at Law Firm One, said, “We hope this seminar will help companies proactively review their internal response systems in light of the changing investigative environment and make timely decisions in crisis situations.”

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