Public Defender for Victims to Receive Increased Fees for In-Person Consultations, Settlements, Night, and Holiday Work

Seoul Central District Court

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Victim public defenders will receive additional compensation if they perform tasks beyond their basic duties for settlements, or if they conduct face-to-face consultations, or work during nights and holidays.

On the 3rd, the Ministry of Justice announced that it will implement a revised version of the "Victim Public Defender Compensation Standards," which was enacted last October, adding reasons for increased compensation starting from today. To avoid confusion in operations, this will apply only to cases where victim public defenders are appointed after the implementation.

The previous compensation standards did not allow exceptions to basic duties, so the various forms of lawyers’ work depending on the case could not be reflected. As a result, criticisms arose that lawyers’ right to defense was infringed or that they did not receive compensation even for legitimate work.

According to the revised compensation standards, compensation will increase if face-to-face consultations or victim investigations take place during nights or holidays. The same applies when victim public defenders perform tasks for settlements, such as consulting with victim-related persons, perpetrators, or perpetrator-related persons.

Additionally, participation in trial procedures beyond basic duties now newly includes "face-to-face consultations with victims." Detailed regulations such as submitting "appeal statements, requests for reconsideration with reasons stated, and objections to non-prosecution" during investigative procedures beyond basic duties have also been added. Compensation can be paid proportionally even if the lawyer changes or is newly appointed midway through the case.

The Ministry of Justice stated, "We will continuously listen to the opinions of victims and victim public defenders to support victim public defenders in faithfully performing their duties for victims."

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