Law Firm YK Recruits Former Chief Judge Song Gak-yeop for 'Crackdown on Major Tax Offenders'

Former Judge Kim Taekhyung, Known for Strict Rulings on University Admission Fraud, Joins YK
Litigation Capabilities Strengthened with Recruitment of Veteran Judges

From the left, Partner Lawyer Song Gak-yeop and Partner Lawyer Kim Taek-hyung of Law Firm YK.

Law firm YK (representative lawyers Kyunghoon Kang and Beomhan Kim) took on the 'Daedo Jo Se-hyung' case and recruited former Seoul Administrative Court Chief Judge Gakyeop Song (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 31), who sentenced Jo to imprisonment and strictly punished him.

Also, former Seoul Central District Court Judge Taekhyung Kim (class 40), who strictly punished an admission corruption case where a university professor mother had her daughter fraudulently admitted to graduate school through proxy thesis writing, joined YK.

YK announced on the 4th that the two have joined as partner lawyers and have started full-scale work.

Following the recruitment of former chief judge Inseok Lee (head of the Fair Trade Group) and lawyer Ingu Bae last year, YK has further strengthened its litigation competitiveness this year by continuously recruiting veteran lawyers with judicial backgrounds.

Former Chief Judge Song was appointed as a judge at Suwon District Court Seongnam Branch in 2002, served at Seoul Central District Court, Seoul Southern District Court, and as a judicial research judge at the Supreme Court, and held the position of chief judge at Gwangju District Court and Incheon District Court. Until recently, he served as chief judge at Seoul Administrative Court, handling cases related to taxation, labor, and health.

In 2013, he handled the specific crime aggravation law violation (theft) case of Jo Se-hyung, known as 'Daedo Jo Se-hyung.' Jo was once called 'Daedo' for his bold thefts targeting wealthy and influential people in the 1970s and 1980s. In April 2013, he was arrested and indicted for breaking into a villa in Seocho-dong, Seoul, and stealing precious metals worth about 30 million won. Judge Song, who presided over the case, sentenced him to three years in prison, stating, “Despite having been sentenced to imprisonment multiple times domestically and internationally, he repeatedly committed crimes.”

In 2017, he handled a case where a relative repeatedly sexually assaulted a 15-year-old victim with a level 2 intellectual disability. The defendant coerced the victim by demanding she come home and threatening disadvantages if she refused. Judge Song recognized the credibility of the victim’s testimony, judging it difficult to fabricate without actual experience, and sentenced the defendant to five years in prison. This ruling was praised for carefully analyzing the situation from the victim’s perspective and the meaning of the testimony, and was selected as the 'Stepping Stone Judgment for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' in 2019.

In addition, former Chief Judge Song made important legal judgments in various cases, including ▲disclosure of investigation records by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials ▲application for suspension of execution of dismissal of the Broadcasting and Communications Commission chairman ▲cancellation of suspension of former Police Superintendent Ryu Sam-young ▲application for suspension of execution of the notification of suspension of the Korea Sports Council president ▲lawsuit to cancel disciplinary warning against NH Investment & Securities CEO ▲lawsuits to cancel revised drug benefit list notices by pharmaceutical companies ▲lawsuits related to nursing care benefits at large hospitals.

Former Judge Kim graduated from the Korean National Police University in 2005 and worked as a police officer before passing the bar exam in 2008 and being appointed as a judge at Suwon District Court in 2011. He served at Seoul Eastern District Court, Daejeon District Court, and Suwon District Court, and handled civil and criminal trials at Seoul Central District Court, demonstrating outstanding capabilities in criminal cases requiring expertise such as drugs, environment, food, and health, as well as enforcement and application cases.

In particular, he handled a case where his mother, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University College of Pharmacy, had graduate students write his daughter’s thesis on her behalf and used false thesis achievements and volunteer activity records as admission materials for Seoul National University School of Dentistry. Former Judge Kim strictly judged the defendant’s fraudulent acts and sentenced her to three years and six months in prison.

Former Judge Kim also delivered significant rulings in socially notable cases such as ▲drug use by a famous celebrity ▲perjury related to a famous politician ▲violation of the Public Official Election Act related to a large corporation chairman’s parliamentary election ▲bribery by a high-ranking public official.

A YK official said, “With Attorney Gakyeop Song’s experience in administrative litigation and corporate lawsuits and Attorney Taekhyung Kim’s expertise in criminal and enforcement fields, YK’s litigation capabilities are expected to be further strengthened.”

Last year, YK recorded sales of 154.7 billion won, ranking among the top seven law firms in Korea. It currently employs 367 lawyers, including former judges and prosecutors, ranking sixth in the industry. It operates 32 branch offices nationwide directly.

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