Choi Soon-yeol, president of the Seoul Bar Association, visited the Sangju Police Station in North Gyeongsang Province, where a controversial notice restricting lawyer participation had sparked constitutional concerns. He expressed worries about potential violations of the right to legal assistance and urged measures to prevent future occurrences.
According to the Seoul Bar Association, Choi and association staff visited the Sangju Police Station at 10 a.m. on September 16 to meet with Chief Choi Seong-yeol and discuss corrective actions regarding the notice on lawyer participation restrictions.
At the request of the Seoul Bar Association, the previous notice displayed at the Sangju Police Station was immediately removed, and a new notice emphasizing the protection of the right to legal assistance was created and installed.
During the meeting, Choi expressed concern that "this issue could infringe upon the right to legal assistance" and requested that "the process of investigation ensure that the role of lawyers is fully protected and that similar issues do not arise in the future."
In response, Chief Choi acknowledged the seriousness of the matter and assured that necessary measures would be taken to ensure the right to legal assistance is fully protected during investigations, while also committing to thorough management to prevent similar issues from recurring.
Previously, the Seoul Bar Association had visited the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency to request verification of whether similar notices were posted at police stations nationwide. Following this, a comprehensive investigation revealed that no similar notices existed at the 261 police stations across the country, excluding Sangju Police Station.
This is not the first time the Seoul Bar Association has taken corrective action regarding lawyer participation restrictions. Recently, Choi visited the Uijeongbu Police Station after discovering a post that inappropriately compared the legal assistance of lawyers and the appointment of legal counsel. The Uijeongbu Police Station promptly removed the post and stated it would take steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.
A representative from the Seoul Bar Association stated, "The reason we visited Sangju Police Station today, following our visit to Uijeongbu Police Station, is clear. The right to receive legal assistance must be guaranteed as a fundamental right during investigations, and any erroneous practices or perceptions that undermine this right must be corrected from the ground up."
He added, "We will not stop at merely raising issues; if there are problems, we will go directly to the site to demand corrections and ensure that they are actually addressed. We will continue to actively respond to protect the rights and the legal profession, ensuring that the right to legal assistance is effectively guaranteed in investigative settings."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.