Former Supreme Court Justice Kwon Soon-il [Yonhap News]

The prosecution has requested a prison sentence for former Supreme Court Justice Kwon Soon-il (67, Judicial Research and Training Institute 14th batch) for acting as a lawyer for Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management without being registered as a lawyer.

At the closing trial for alleged violations of the Attorney-at-Law Act held on the 30th at the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Presiding Judge Kim Dae-gyu of Criminal Division 21, the prosecution requested a one-year prison sentence.

The prosecution pointed out, "This case involves a former Supreme Court Justice violating the Attorney-at-Law Act, and the matter is not trivial."

They further requested that the court consider the fact that former Justice Kwon agreed to receive compensation for his services and actually received 150 million won, and that he denies the charges and has not shown remorse.

Former Justice Kwon's legal team argued that the investigation and indictment in this case were illegal and requested dismissal of the charges.

The defense attorney argued, "The prosecution requested the transfer of the case to a senior police officer via phone," and stated, "There is no legal basis for a case investigated by a judicial police officer with primary investigative authority to be transferred to a prosecutor."

Even if the investigation process was lawful, they also argued for acquittal, claiming that former Justice Kwon was an employee of Hwacheon Daeyu and merely performed duties related to overall management.

Former Justice Kwon's legal team stated, "He did not receive compensation from an independent position to represent in litigation or engage in legal affairs," and "This does not fall under the category of practicing law without registration."

In his final statement, former Justice Kwon contended, "Demanding a transfer without having investigative authority constitutes an abuse of power," and questioned, "Is such an investigation a lawful one?"

The court has set the sentencing date for June 11th.

After his retirement, from January to August 2021, former Justice Kwon allegedly worked as an advisor for Hwacheon Daeyu, whose major shareholder is real estate developer Kim Man-bae, and engaged in lawyer-like activities such as analyzing trial proceedings for related administrative litigation, drafting legal documents, and providing legal theories for responses, all without being registered as a lawyer with the Korean Bar Association.