By Jung Min-ho
A former senior judge, who quit his job over an anti-sex crime law violation, has recently joined a major law firm.
The 46-year-old man reportedly joined one of Korea’s largest law firms last month, following the approval of the Korean Bar Association (KBA), which has long been criticized for “being too lenient” on screening its members.
He tendered his resignation from the judgeship in August, a day after being caught by police for allegedly having sex with a prostitute at a studio apartment in southern Seoul.
The disciplinary committee later decided in court to reduce his salary for three months as a penalty; and the prosecution eventually suspended his indictment, given that it was his first time to be involved in such a crime.
The court accepted his resignation in January after the prosecution’s decision.
The next month, he submitted his application to become a lawyer. The KBA granted it three months later without opening a screening committee.
The KBA can open a screening committee to decide whether to accept new members with criminal records, but it has often been criticized for failing to properly exercise the right.
A KBA official said the organization did not open the committee largely because the former judge already received his penalty from the court and took three months off to reflect on what he did.
It is not an issue just for lawyers. Over the past month, three police officers have also been investigated for having sex with prostitutes, which prompted calls for stronger measures for their conduct.
Members of ECPAT Korea, a civic group against sex crimes, released a statement, Monday, criticizing a series of the recent sex crimes by public officials.
“They sexually abused the very people they are supposed to protect. We take this situation very seriously,” the group said.