Starting from Curiosity About Humans, Living as a Drug Lawyer

[Meeting the Poet] An Junhyeong, Chief Lawyer at Law Firm Jihyeok

"Drug use is a private matter, but its details are revealed far too easily. Reporting on it should also be restrained. I hope the public becomes aware of the issue of whether it is right for society as a whole to condemn drug offenders, who are also subjects of treatment."

Ahn Jun-hyung, Chief Attorney at Law Firm Jihyuk
Photo by Legal Times

The first impression of the interviewee, known as a drug specialist lawyer, was so neat and typical that it reminded me of a sports TV channel host or announcer. The harmony of his short, neatly trimmed haircut and clean suit made him look like he could step right into a broadcast studio without any shortcomings. His speech was neither excessive nor insufficient, well-reasoned, and rich in metaphor.

Attorney Ahn Jun-hyung (39, passed the 3rd Bar Exam) published a somewhat provocative book titled in November 2023. The book came across to me as a kind of declarative statement fully revealing his identity as a criminal defense lawyer specializing in drug cases. Coincidentally, shortly after the book’s release, a famous actor under police investigation for drug use tragically took his own life. What was astonishing was that Ahn’s book accurately depicted the practices of the media and investigative agencies as well as the suffering of drug case suspects. He wrote in the book:

"Drug cases are accompanied from the start by prejudice, speculation, and criticism. Drug cases are always a hot issue in Korea. When a celebrity is involved in drug use, it is always splashed across newspapers, and the investigators who put them in jail get rapid promotions. Now, the scope has expanded to ordinary people. While investigative agencies compete to show their efforts, the presumption of innocence becomes meaningless, and even nonexistent facts are exaggerated and distorted into sensational articles. Drug offenders are vilified by the public as 'people not to be associated with' based on the image created by the media."

Because this was such a shocking event in Korean society, I asked Attorney Ahn what his initial thoughts were when he first heard about the tragic choice of the famous actor.

"When the Lee Seon-gyun case broke out, everyone was very surprised and there was much talk about the media’s behavior, but for me, there was nothing new. I thought, 'This is just the usual pattern starting again.' Investigations into celebrities or famous people have always been like that. Reporters are always called in to humiliate them during investigations, and the investigation details are reported minute by minute. I thought, 'They’re doing it again this time.' And then, when the case ended tragically, I thought, 'Now they’re paying attention.' This really must never happen again."

While reading the book, the impression I got from the author was a brilliant intellectual sensitivity that combined extraordinary wit with the ability to entertain doubt. I was curious about its origin, so I asked about his upbringing.

"I was born and raised in Seongnam. Back then, it was a very poor neighborhood. When I talked with friends, their experiences were very different from those who grew up in Seoul or the metropolitan area. There were few friends who lived in what could be called normal or decent homes. When I visited friends’ houses, many had bathrooms outside the house or used coal briquettes for heating. I didn’t grow up in a very poor environment myself, but those experiences made me interested in the diversity of human life. Some friends, instead of continuing their education, were already drifting toward crime or entertainment districts. So, social minorities or vulnerable groups don’t feel distant or like someone else’s story to me."

Unexpectedly, Attorney Ahn said he had severe ADHD in elementary school. For six years, his report cards had the same comment: 'A student who is inattentive and disorganized.' Fortunately, he said he had a 'studious mind.' When he told me he wanted to become a pastor and entered Yonsei University’s Department of Theology, my engagement as an interviewer naturally increased. He said he ended up going to law school by chance.

"My parents were busy, so my four siblings and I grew up together. As the youngest, I liked people and was curious about everything from early on. I wanted to become a pastor, so I went to study theology, thinking it was a study of humanity, which sparked my interest in the humanities. But when I actually studied theology, I realized it wasn’t for me. I wasn’t mature enough, and guiding others wasn’t my path. After graduating, I briefly worked as a TV producer but quit soon after and wandered for a while. Then, by chance, I took the law school exam that I had applied for earlier, following a friend."

He said entering law school was considered a failure in his life at the time. What he wanted to do was based on the humanities, but he ended up studying law, something he never wanted, and felt deep doubts about walking the path of law. He said he was a serious misfit during his first year at law school.

"At a university that aims for integration, I took classes for four years where I naturally conversed with professors in literature, history, and philosophy. But when I entered law school, no one asked the professor any questions for three hours. It was so hard to attend rote lectures. I was used to exams where I wrote my own thoughts, but now I had to take tests with fixed answers, which I couldn’t adapt to. I even felt like I had gone back to being a high school student. People thought I might drop out."

As they say, you never know what life holds. The same person is now recognized in the industry as a drug specialist lawyer. During his 10 years as a lawyer, Ahn Jun-hyung has encountered countless clients and families involved in drug use cases, as well as reactions from investigative agencies and the media. I asked what he thinks is the blind spot in how our society deals with drug cases.

"Drug use inevitably connects to a disreputable private life. People who use drugs don’t usually read books or go to church. It’s usually linked to indulgence. These post-drug-use behaviors are private matters, but their details are too easily revealed to the public. I wish the media would delicately recognize that this is a person’s sensitive private life, but they don’t. The media should restrain themselves from reporting information leaked from investigative agencies, out of conscience. I hope the public becomes aware of whether it is right for society as a whole to condemn drug offenders, who are also subjects of treatment. But currently, the Korean public condemns drug offenders too easily based only on legal standards or social customs. They see them simply as criminals who deserve blame because they broke the law. In the case of Lee Seon-gyun, people should be able to question personally why he had no choice but to use drugs and whether the media and investigative agencies’ attitudes toward him were appropriate. But instead, they judge only by the standards set by law and society. I think the law needs to be somewhat more lenient."

He also emphasized in his book that drug users should be focused on treatment rather than punishment. However, there remains a strong concern that this would reduce the deterrent effect of the illegality of drug use and the efficiency of preventing relapse. I asked for his thoughts on this.

"Ultimately, punishment is to suppress demand in the drug market, but the recidivism rate among drug users is too high. Addiction is a disease, and the experts who treat diseases are doctors, not prosecutors, police, or prison officers. Punishment and treatment are two pillars in dealing with drug offenders, but I think the treatment pillar is currently quite insufficient. The word 'addiction' is medically a disease code. Nowadays, even depression is no longer seen as personal weakness but as a disease. Drug addicts are subjects of treatment, but the state must also punish them, which creates ambivalent feelings?this is the special aspect of drug use cases. Still, I think the perspective of viewing drug use cases from the standpoint of addiction as a disease should increase. It’s also problematic to separate drug offenders into so-called 'drug rooms' in prison. When they enter that room, they only hear about drugs during their incarceration."

I asked Attorney Ahn to share a memorable drug use case and the insights it left.

"There was a client who, to anyone’s eyes, was well-raised, played an important role in society, and had good character and personality, but he was addicted to methamphetamine. His devoted parents and I made many efforts to help him quit. The trial went well, and he was given a suspended sentence. After quitting drugs through hard work like daily walks with his parents, he came to see me. But less than a month after seeing me, he committed suicide. That shocked me and made me think deeply. While people around him were focused on helping him quit drugs and avoiding punishment, this person was really suffering to the point of death. Even after quitting, he wasn’t happy. What does it really mean to quit drugs? What is happiness? I wondered if we could truly say we did our best for him. Since that case, I stopped easily asking why people use drugs or why they couldn’t quit."

Personally, I believe legal professionals and lawyers are high-cost, highly trained resources in our society and intellectuals who should not ignore community problems. When I asked him about his interest in the public duties of intellectuals, he answered as follows.

"Yes, I agree that responsibility as an intellectual is necessary. I’m very interested in public interest, so I only interned at public interest law offices. But after law school, it became a matter of survival. I thought I had to grow first to help others. I’ve been running my practice for 3-4 years now, managing the office stably, paying staff salaries, and working hard. But I can’t give up my interest in public interest, so I’ve been involved in animal rights group KARA, volunteered serving meals to the homeless, and serve as an advisory member for the Child Rights Protection Agency, which manages children in need of protection, like orphans. Until last year, I worked as a human rights director at the Bar Association, donate to the Hope-Making Law public interest lawyer group, and participate as an advisory member at a family law counseling center for women."

It was not difficult to find passion and pride in his work in every word he spoke. In fact, he said he feels considerable satisfaction with his profession now, which makes his past serious maladjustment at law school seem irrelevant.

"If satisfaction is scored out of 10, I’d give myself 11. Lawyers can work as advisors, in-house counsel, or public officials, but I chose litigation, especially criminal law. It suits me well. I had the impression that law study was closed off, but being a lawyer is a very open profession. Meeting and interacting with various people is really fun. Consulting clients, visiting them in detention centers, and arguing with judges and prosecutors in court suit me well. In the past 10 years, I’ve never once said, even jokingly, that this job is hard, not fun, or wondered why I chose it."

Attorney Ahn said he climbs mountains and studies art history and authors in his leisure time. This also seemed to be an expression of his humanistic sensitivity. He also said that even if he were tempted by offers to enter public office or politics, he would steadfastly maintain his current role. The theological path he originally intended to take might be about humans recognizing absolute existence and limits while finding their unique place?endlessly reflecting on humanistic tasks of original sin and salvation. From my perspective, Attorney Ahn Jun-hyung has not wasted his study of theology but has found his path well.

Attorney Ahn Jun-hyung graduated from Yonsei University and Chung-Ang University Law Schools and passed the 3rd Bar Exam in 2014. After taking on his first drug case 10 years ago and focusing forward, he has become a drug specialist lawyer. He currently handles about 100 drug cases annually. He is the lead attorney at the law firm Jihyeok and serves as a legal advisor to the Embassy of Austria in Korea, among other roles.

Kim Do-eon (Poet & Novelist)

※This article is based on content supplied by Law Times.

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