Former Chief Prosecutor Moon Chan-seok, Korea's Top Securities Crime Expert, Begins Work as 'Seonneung' Lead Attorney

[The Asia Business Daily Reporter Choi Seokjin] Former Chief Prosecutor Moon Chanseok, widely regarded as the country's leading expert in securities crime investigations, began work on the 5th as the managing attorney of Seonneung Law Office, an economic-crime-focused law firm.

After graduating from Gyeonggi High School and the Department of Law at Sungkyunkwan University, Moon passed the 34th bar exam, completed the 24th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, and was appointed as a prosecutor in 1995.

He then served as a prosecutor in the Special Investigation Department 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and as head of the Special Investigation Department at the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, before becoming chief of the Criminal Department 4 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which is in charge of tax and economic cases.

After that, having demonstrated outstanding capabilities in securities crime investigations, he served as the inaugural head of the Joint Securities Crime Investigation Unit newly established at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in 2013.

The Joint Securities Crime Investigation Unit, which was formed not only with prosecutors and investigators specializing in securities crime within the prosecution but also with experts seconded from the Financial Supervisory Service and the Korea Fair Trade Commission, produced notable results: within seven months of its launch, it investigated 29 securities crime cases, booked 162 suspects, and indicted 126 of them, including 64 under detention.

In 2015, when the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office was designated as the "Financial Crime Priority Prosecutors' Office" and the Financial and Tax Investigation Departments 1 and 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office were transferred to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, Moon, as the first Deputy Chief Prosecutor (No. 2) of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, oversaw and directed financial crime investigations.

Having demonstrated such exceptional ability in financial and securities crime investigations, he even earned the nickname "Grim Reaper of Yeouido."

Recognizing this expertise, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, in 2016, four years after the introduction of the "Certified Specialist Prosecutor System," certified him as the first Level-1 Certified Specialist Prosecutor (so-called Black Belt) in the field of securities crimes such as market manipulation.

Known for his principled remarks and actions and respected by junior prosecutors, Moon left a message on the internal network before leaving the prosecution in August, and within two days, more than 360 comments were posted on it by prosecutors ranging from junior prosecutors to chief prosecutors expressing regret over his resignation.

Seonneung Law Office, which has brought in Moon as its managing attorney, is a law firm founded by former Senior Prosecutor Kim Jongo (30th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), a graduate of Suncheon High School and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, who previously headed the Tax Crime Investigation Department at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

Kim, a former senior prosecutor, is also a Certified Specialist Prosecutor in the fair trade field, with experience working on secondment to the Korea Fair Trade Commission.

The two previously worked together: in 2016–2017 at the Suncheon Branch of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office as branch chief and senior prosecutor, and in 2018–2019 at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office as Director of the Planning and Coordination Department and Officer in charge of Investigation Information 1, respectively.

Seonneung also includes former Seoul District Court Judge Kim Eunmi (23rd class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), a fair trade expert from the judiciary.

After graduating from Gwangju Kyungshin Girls' High School and the Department of Law at Ewha Womans University, Kim left the bench and went on to serve as Director General for Adjudication Management at the Korea Fair Trade Commission, attorney at Barun Law LLC, standing commissioner of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, and standing commissioner of the Central Administrative Appeals Commission.

Because of the career backgrounds of these members, Seonneung has developed specialized expertise in economic cases such as violations of the Capital Markets Act including market manipulation and use of undisclosed information, tax evasion, leakage of trade secrets, and fair trade matters.

<Major Career Highlights of Former Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office Chief Prosecutor Moon Chanseok>

▲ Prosecutor, Special Investigation Department 1, Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office ▲ Director, Criminal Division 2, Supreme Prosecutors' Office ▲ Head of Special Investigation Department, Incheon District Prosecutors' Office ▲ Chief, Criminal Department 4 (in charge of tax and economic cases), Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office ▲ Inaugural Head, Joint Securities Crime Investigation Unit, Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office ▲ Inaugural No. 2 Deputy Chief Prosecutor (overall commander of financial crime investigations), Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office ▲ Chief, Suncheon Branch, Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office ▲ Deputy Chief Prosecutor, Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office ▲ Director of Planning and Coordination Department (Chief Prosecutor), Supreme Prosecutors' Office ▲ Chief Prosecutor, Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office

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