The Bar Association Repeatedly Requests Former Supreme Court Justice Kwon Soon-il to 'Voluntarily Withdraw Lawyer Registration'

Kwon Soon-il, Chairman of the Central Election Commission, is entering the conference room at the Gwacheon Central Election Commission in Gyeonggi Province to attend the full committee meeting discussing the approval of proportional party names. / Gwacheon = Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Korean Bar Association (KBA) has once again demanded that former Supreme Court Justice Kwon Soon-il, who is suspected of 'judicial trading,' voluntarily withdraw his application for lawyer registration.

According to the legal community on the 22nd, the KBA sent an official letter to former Justice Kwon on the 10th, stating, "If you start practicing law under the current circumstances, it will lead to public criticism of the entire legal community." The KBA had sent a similar letter last month urging voluntary withdrawal. However, as former Justice Kwon did not express any particular stance, they sent another official letter.

After his retirement, former Justice Kwon applied for lawyer registration with the Seoul Bar Association last September, but the KBA judged that it was inappropriate for him to practice law as the suspicions of involvement in the Daejang-dong case have not been resolved. However, since former Justice Kwon has not been subject to judicial punishment, the KBA has no legal grounds to reject his lawyer registration application. If former Justice Kwon does not withdraw voluntarily, the application must be accepted.

After retirement, former Justice Kwon worked as an advisor for Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management, which participated in the Daejang-dong development project, reportedly receiving a monthly salary of 15 million won, sparking controversy. He is also known as one of the so-called '50 Billion Club,' who were promised 5 billion won by the 'Daejang-dong group.' The suspicion of 'judicial trading' also arose, viewing this as a payoff for former Justice Kwon casting the deciding vote when the Supreme Court's full bench overturned the conviction of then Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung in July 2019 on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act.

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