The first remand trial on the property division between SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Art Center Nabi Director Roh Soh-yeong opens on the 9th. Ahead of the first hearing, both sides reshaped their legal teams by appointing former senior judges as attorneys. Chey's side made a surprise reappointment of law firm YulChon, which led the remand at the Supreme Court stage, on the 7th, two days before the hearing, while Roh strengthened her team by having some of her existing attorneys resign and newly appointing law firms Haekwang and Onsesang.
According to legal sources on the 8th, the Seoul High Court's Family Division 1 (Presiding Judge Lee Sang-joo) will hold the first oral argument in the remand trial on property division for the couple, Chairman Chey and Director Roh, at 5:20 p.m. This hearing comes about three months after the Supreme Court in Oct. last year overturned the appellate ruling ordering Chey to pay 1.3808 trillion won to Roh as property division and sent the case back to the Seoul High Court.
◇Chey Tae-won's side reappoints YulChon… the "elite defense team" that led the remand
For the first hearing, Chey's side reappointed law firm YulChon, which had secured the remand at the Supreme Court stage. Notably, they submitted the notice of attorney appointment to the court only on the 7th, two days before the hearing. A managing partner at a law firm said, "It appears intended to minimize exposure of their litigation strategy."
At YulChon, attorneys Lee Jae-geun (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 28), Min Cheol-gi (class 29), Kim Seong-woo (class 31), and Lee Seung-ho (class 31), who served as counsel at the Supreme Court stage, were reappointed, and attorneys Lee Yoo-kyoung (class 33) and Choi Yoon-ah (class 44) newly joined the team.
Lee Jae-geun, head of YulChon's litigation group, began as a judge at the Seoul Central District Court in 2002 and served as a judge at various courts, a counselor at the National Court Administration, and a Supreme Court research judge (senior judge), later serving as a senior judge at the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court. He has handled major business cases, including winning an injunction case over voting rights at a shareholders' meeting between Korea Zinc and Young Poong while representing Korea Zinc.
Attorney Min Cheol-gi is a former senior judge at the Seoul Eastern District Court and twice served as a Supreme Court research judge. He is regarded as a former judge well-versed in corporate criminal matters.
Attorney Kim Seong-woo served as a sole civil judge and a sole criminal judge at the Seoul Northern District Court, the Busan District Court, and the Anyang branch of the Suwon District Court, and worked as a specialist judge for juvenile and family cases at the Seoul Family Court for six years from 2013. Attorney Lee Seung-ho worked as a judge for 16 years and served as the chief research judge overseeing new civil cases at the Supreme Court, and is considered a top expert in civil litigation.
Newly joining attorney Lee Yoo-kyoung has practiced since 2004, right after completing the Judicial Research and Training Institute, gaining diverse hands-on experience in related fields. Attorney Choi Yoon-ah is a lawyer with experience as a research judge at the Seoul High Court.
Chey's side may appoint additional counsel beyond YulChon. During the Supreme Court stage, Chey's team also appointed attorney Hong Seung-myeon, who at the time was mentioned as a candidate for chief justice, in addition to YulChon. A legal source familiar with the internal situation said, "I understand the possibility of adding counsel remains open. They could file additional notices of appointment after this hearing."
◇Roh Soh-yeong's side adds many former high court and senior judges
Roh finalized her legal team relatively early with law firms Haekwang and Onsesang. She submitted a power of attorney to the court on the 26th of last month. Law firms Yulu, Pyeongan, and Riu, which had originally represented her, have all resigned.
First, attorneys Kim Ju-young (class 18) and Lee Sang-won (class 23) of law firm Hannuri were included in the team. Attorney Kim Ju-young, who opened a practice in 1992 and worked at Kim & Chang, is a veteran with more than 30 years of experience handling various cases. Attorney Lee Sang-won served at the Seoul Southern District Court, as a professor at the Judicial Research and Training Institute, and at the Seoul High Court, and is known to have contributed in May last year to the appellate court's recognition of the property division amount of 1.3808 trillion won for Chey and Roh.
At law firm Haekwang, attorneys Seo Min-seok (class 23), Lee Wan-hee (class 27), and Son Cheol (class 35) joined the team. Attorney Seo Min-seok was appointed a judge at the Incheon District Court in 1994 and later served as a senior judge at the Daejeon District Court and the Seoul Central District Court. Attorney Lee Wan-hee was appointed a judge at the Cheongju District Court in 1998 and later served as a senior judge at the Changwon District Court and as a high court judge at the Seoul High Court. Attorney Son Cheol served as a senior judge at the Suncheon branch and the Suwon District Court and opened a practice in Feb. last year.
Attorneys Kim Jae-ryeon (class 32) and Noh Ji-seon (class 40), known as women's rights lawyers at law firm Onsesang, also joined. Attorney Kim Jae-ryeon served as a director at the Korean Single Parent Family Research Institute, as director general of rights promotion at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and as a director at the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, and represented the victim in the sexual violence complaint case involving former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. Attorney Noh Ji-seon, after completing the Judicial Research and Training Institute, worked at the Hyundai Group Strategic Planning Office, the Korean Institute for Healthy Family (KIHF), and as legal audit officer at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.