Kwon Seong-dong, a former lawmaker of the People Power Party, is set to have his lawyer registration canceled after being sentenced to two years in prison for receiving illegal political funds amounting to 100 million won from the Unification Church. The Supreme Court's ruling has created a disqualification under the Lawyer Act, prompting the Ministry of Justice to order the Korean Bar Association to proceed with the cancellation.
According to legal sources on August 18, the Korean Bar Association received the cancellation order from the Ministry of Justice on August 14 and is currently processing the necessary steps. A representative from the Bar Association stated that they are following the Ministry's directive and expect to complete the cancellation process within this week.
Under current lawyer regulations, individuals sentenced to imprisonment for more than a year and who have not completed their sentence or had it suspended within the last five years are disqualified from practicing law. The Minister of Justice is required to instruct the Bar Association to cancel the registration of any lawyer deemed disqualified. Article 18 of the Lawyer Act also mandates that the Bar Association must cancel the registration upon receiving such an order from the Minister.
Previously, on July 16, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court's ruling that sentenced Kwon to two years in prison and ordered him to return the 100 million won in illegal political funds. With the confirmation of his prison sentence, Kwon also lost his parliamentary seat.
Kwon was accused of accepting 100 million won in political funds from former Unification Church leader Yoon Young-ho on January 5, 2022, ahead of the presidential election, in exchange for requests related to support for the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. At the time, Kwon served as the chief of staff for Yoon, who was the presidential candidate for the People Power Party.
During the trial, Kwon acknowledged dining with Yoon but denied receiving any money.
However, both the first and second trials found evidence, including a note in Yoon's diary stating 'Kwon Seong-dong lunch - support of a large amount,' and messages sent to Kwon after the money was allegedly transferred, leading to the conclusion that the funds were indeed given. The Supreme Court dismissed Kwon's appeal, stating there were no legal misunderstandings in the lower court's judgment.
Kwon passed the bar exam in 1985 and began his career as a prosecutor, working in the Seoul and Incheon District Prosecutors' Offices. He later became a practicing lawyer and served as the legal secretary to the President during the Lee Myung-bak administration. Kwon entered politics after winning a by-election in Gangneung in 2009.
Recently, there have been several cancellations of lawyer registrations for former high-ranking officials following confirmed convictions. The Korean Bar Association also canceled the registration of former President Yoon, who received a seven-year prison sentence for obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, and former chief prosecutor Kim Sang-min, who received a suspended sentence for soliciting favors in exchange for expensive art gifts to Kim Geon-hee.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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