Attorney Lee Seung-tae (Judicial Research and Training Institute 30th class), managing partner of the law firm Doshiwasaram, said in an interview held on the 19th at his office in Seocho District, Seoul, that issues over sunlight rights are emerging as major disputes beyond mere civil complaints as redevelopment and reconstruction expand. He added that sunlight rights are not a matter of simple convenience but a right directly tied to the basic living environment of the people.
Doshiwasaram is a law firm specializing in urban issues that encompass environment, real estate, and construction, founded in 2015. It is expanding its footing in particular by handling 630 lawsuits over sunlight-rights violations.
After completing the Judicial Research and Training Institute in 2001, Lee practiced as an attorney and earned a master's degree in urban planning from Michigan State University in the United States. Lee then received a doctorate in urban administration from the University of Seoul and completed the dissertation in 2024.
Although Doshiwasaram is a small firm with 20 attorneys, it actively guarantees parental leave for employees and received the 2025 work–family balance legal culture award from the Korean Bar Association. Starting this year, it is also selecting in-house attorneys and supporting their graduate school tuition. Below is a Q&A with the managing partner.
—What led you to focus on lawsuits related to sunlight rights?
As urban development picked up, disputes over sunlight rights naturally increased. While handling environmental and construction cases, sunlight rights emerged as a key issue, and I began to address them professionally.
—How significant are the results?
So far, I have handled about 630 cases of sunlight-rights violations. I have secured more than 20 injunctions to halt construction. We achieved results in several areas, including Gocheok-dong in Guro District, Garak-dong in Songpa District, Daechi-dong in Gangnam District, and Dapsimni-dong in Dongdaemun District, all in Seoul.
—Why is it difficult to obtain an order to stop construction?
Because courts are extremely cautious about halting construction. We must prove harm that is difficult to remedy, beyond mere inconvenience. To that end, we respond based on objective materials such as sunlight-amount analyses and simulations.
—Do you primarily represent residents?
We handle cases for developers as well as residents. By ratio, nearby residents account for eight and developers for two. Experiencing both sides has allowed us to understand the structure of disputes in a more three-dimensional way.
—You also handle environmental cases.
The Young Poong Seokpo Smelter case involved an incident in which the heavy metal cadmium leaked into groundwater and the uppermost reaches of the Nakdong River from a Young Poong Group smelter that had produced zinc since 1970 in Bonghwa County, North Gyeongsang Province. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment imposed a penalty surcharge of 28.1 billion won, but Young Poong filed a suit to cancel the disposition, arguing that the path and process of the cadmium leak could not be clearly identified. Doshiwasaram went up against a large law firm representing Young Poong and secured a win for the ministry by clearly proving the cadmium leak, and then won again for the ministry in a suit to cancel the smelter's suspension of operations.
—What about cases for residents harmed by pollution?
We secured a final victory in 2023 in an environmental-damage compensation suit filed by residents of More Village in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, against a nearby shipyard. The residents claimed health deterioration and infringement on their living environment due to iron oxide dust, but lost in the first trial for lack of proof. We took the case from the second trial, won with support from the ministry, and it was recorded as the first successful case under the litigation-support system for vulnerable groups.
—Why did you study abroad while practicing as an attorney?
About 10 years into my legal career, I went to the United States to study. Handling environmental and construction cases sparked my interest in urban engineering, and I earned master's degrees simultaneously from Hanyang University Graduate School and Michigan State University.
—Do you also provide advisory work beyond litigation?
Along with climate and energy consulting projects, we are also conducting drone research with the Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology (KIAST). For example, there are not even standards on whether a delivery drone can pass 10 meters above dwellings. It has been noted that insufficient laws on drone flight paths and altitudes are constraining industrial development. We are working with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to help ease regulations and revise laws. I also wrote a paper titled "A study on flight regulations for small drones to protect land ownership."
—Why do you support graduate school tuition for your attorneys?
This year, one attorney enrolled for the first time at the Seoul National University Graduate School of Environmental Studies, and we are supporting the attorney to focus on studies while maintaining salary. Rather than overseas training like large law firms, this is an investment in strengthening young attorneys' expertise. A law firm also needs values and direction. It is more important to secure long-term competitiveness by developing in-house talent than by hiring former officials, and we will pursue steady growth even if it is slow.
—Why do you allow general leaves of absence in addition to parental leave?
We currently have 20 attorneys, two of whom used parental leave and returned. If requested, we also allow a general leave of absence for two to three months. Lee judged that many young attorneys these days are already exhausted after going through entrance exams, law school, and the bar exam. Sufficient rest improves work efficiency. Trying to hold on to an attorney who wants a break can instead lead to attrition.
—Why did you choose environment, real estate, and construction as your specialties?
Growing up in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, I felt the importance of the environment in nature. While studying cities, I encountered New Urbanism (a social movement to develop cities in a way that revives the characteristics of traditional places) and realized the need for development in harmony with the environment. Based on this thinking, I founded the law firm Doshiwasaram and specialized in environment, construction, and real estate within the framework of the city.