[2021 National Audit] Kwon Chil-seung to Hold Meeting with Ministers of Justice and Welfare on 13th Regarding Lotok

Minister Kwon Chil-seung of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups is attending the National Assembly inspection of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups held by the National Assembly Industry, Trade, Energy, Small and Medium Business Committee on the 7th./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Junhyung Lee] Kwon Chil-seung, Minister of SMEs and Startups, addressed the conflict between the legal service platform 'Lotoc' and the Korean Bar Association, stating, "We are unofficially listening to the difficulties and internally preparing what we can do," and added, "Around the 13th of this month, we plan to arrange a meeting with startups along with the Ministers of Justice and Health and Welfare to discuss related issues."

Minister Kwon made these remarks on the 7th during the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' audit at the National Assembly, responding to Rep. Lee Soyoung of the Democratic Party's comment that "the Ministry of SMEs and Startups should not remain silent on issues related to Lotoc." He said, "Platforms related to small local businesses and those related to professional occupations should be approached differently," and added, "For platforms related to professional occupations, it is appropriate to ease regulations."

Lotteok Advertisement Installed at Subway Station
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Seo Myeong-gon = On the 5th, when the regulation disciplining lawyers using legal service platforms such as 'Lotteok' was enforced, the Korean Bar Association began an investigation for disciplinary action.
The Bar Association stated, "According to the revised Lawyer's Code of Ethics and Lawyer's Advertising Regulations, from today we will start investigating lawyers registered on online legal platforms and will determine the level of discipline through the disciplinary committee after the prescribed procedures."
The photo shows the 'Lotteok' advertisement installed on the street in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 5th. 2021.8.5
Photo by Seo Myeong-gon
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On the same day, Rep. Lee pointed out, "According to the revised internal regulations by the Bar Association, almost all legal tech startups have to give up their businesses," and said, "Legal tech is a globally promising industry, but in our country, it seems impossible for startups to emerge." She also noted, "The Ministry of SMEs and Startups still claims there are no relevant issues," and added, "Legal tech startups say they have only had introductory-level meetings with the Ministry."

In response, Minister Kwon said, "The Ministry of SMEs and Startups is not the regulatory authority, so there are limits to raising its voice on issues related to Lotoc," and explained, "When meeting startups, they often complain about regulatory difficulties, but we feel many limitations in practically helping them." He continued, "Nevertheless, the Ministry has played a significant role in helping these companies grow so far," and added, "There is some delay in preparing the (13th) meeting."

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