[Editor's note] There are people who wipe away neighbors' wet eyes rather than cling to the cold letters of the statute book. They are village lawyers who, instead of standing under flashy lights, go directly to "lawyerless villages" in island communities and remote areas to provide free legal counseling. Thirteen years on, 1,228 lawyers have become a solid support in 1,414 towns, townships and neighborhoods nationwide. We captured the warmth of their quiet voices as they have steadily walked toward those in the lowest places.
"Thanks to you, counselor, I can finally sleep easy."
Yeongheung Township Office in Ongjin County, Incheon, has been broadcasting village announcements for a week saying, "Come for legal counseling," and residents are lining up. They are there to meet Attorney Cho Young-min (41st class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), who drove 1 hour and 30 minutes after passing through Daebu Island. Having called himself the "legal primary care doctor" for island residents for more than 10 years, the arc of his life is a movie in itself.
In 1987, in his second year of middle school, Cho watched a movie about a lawyer who helps the poor and formed a dream. But due to circumstances, he went on to a commercial high school and, after graduation, hoped to become a bank clerk. That is when his homeroom teacher opened a path. Following the advice to "stay close to your dream," he joined BAE, KIM & LEE LLC in 1992 as a secretary. For seven years, he learned the practice by day and pored over the law books by night.
He poured his severance pay into the test-prep enclave of Sillim-dong; a windowless 100,000-won monthly room was his battlefield. After 10 years wrestling with used books, and with his spouse's encouragement, he finally clinched a pass on the bar exam. The officiant at his wedding was Attorney Kim In-seop, the founder of Taepyeongyang, who felt like family.
In 2014, 27 years after he first dreamed of becoming a lawyer, he became the "village lawyer" for Yeongheung Island in Incheon. We compiled a Q&A with Cho, who said, "Meeting those in desperate need is my calling."
─ What led you to work as a village lawyer.
"After becoming a lawyer, I wanted to live a 'giving life' that provides tangible help to someone. While doing lectures at schools as a talent donation, I saw a notice recruiting village lawyers and applied without hesitation. It has already been more than 10 years since I began living out the middle school dream I had after watching that movie: a 'lawyer who helps those in need.'"
─ What is unique about Yeongheung Island.
"Yeongheung Township, with a population of around 6,400, consists of two islands, Yeongheung and Seonjae. A bridge allows vehicle access, but in terms of legal services, it remains a 'lawyerless village.' Twice a year we open a 'visiting counseling center' at the township office, and residents are so eager that village announcements go out a week in advance. More than 10 people line up at a time."
─ What concerns do residents mainly raise.
"Many are livelihood cases such as lease disputes, fraud and bankruptcy. There are countless heartbreaking stories. Some bring claims from 20 to 30 years ago and plead their injustice, but when the statute of limitations has already run, it pains me that I cannot help legally. Recently, disputes over land have become frequent as outsiders move in. People who thought land was theirs for life find that when an outsider buys the land and has it surveyed, part of their yard or even their house is found to be on someone else's land."
─ Is there a counseling case that stands out.
"It was a 'right of way over surrounding land' case. An outsider tried to sell farmland that had been left unattended, only to find the old farm road had disappeared. The owner of that land said they would open a path and sued a resident who had farmed there for life, and the flustered resident came to me. While the right of an owner of a landlocked parcel to pass over another's land is recognized, a village lawyer's role is to calibrate the conflicts that arise in that process with legal precision."
─ What was your most rewarding moment.
"There was a resident who faced a prison sentence after being accused of fraud by someone they had trusted. It was very unfavorable because they failed to respond properly at the outset and had even lost the civil suit. I analyzed the person's grievances one by one and worked to set the facts straight in the criminal trial. Being a ray of light for those driven to the edge due to a lack of legal knowledge is the very reason village lawyers exist."
─ Is the 'lawyerless village' problem serious even in an era with 30,000 lawyers.
"People say lawyers have become common with the introduction of law schools, but many still cannot cross the threshold of the law. These are people who, even when wronged, do not know where to appeal or what procedures to follow. Scattered across our society are people whose need for a lawyer is truly desperate but whose circumstances are difficult—people I would never have met had I stayed at a big law firm."
─ Does this work help your personal practice.
"There is no direct financial gain. But those who come for counseling trust that 'someone doing good will be even more sincere and do well.' That favorable perception is the most valuable asset one can gain as a lawyer."
─ What would you like from the government or the Ministry of Justice.
"It is essentially talent donation, but not long ago an activity fee of 50,000 won per case began to be paid. I am fine because my area is connected to the mainland, but lawyers who visit distant islands like Baengnyeong Island suffer significant time and financial losses. If the ferry is tied up by rough seas, they have to stop their work for days. If realistic support and an active defense system were provided for such people, the village lawyer system would become even more vital."