Famed lawyer faces disbarment after failing to show up in court

Lawyer Kwon Gyeong-ae / Yonhap

By Jun Ji-hye

The Korean Bar Association is considering disciplinary action against high-profile lawyer Kwon Gyeong-ae, who was in charge of a lawsuit over a teenager's death due to school bullying and lost the case because of her repeated failures to attend hearings.

The mother of the teenager claimed she can neither understand nor forgive Kwon and urged the bar association to deliver the heaviest punishment by stripping her of her qualification and banning her from working as a lawyer for life.

On Monday, the bar association decided to launch an investigation into Kwon's repeated failures to attend hearings that resulted in the loss of a years-long legal battle. The association will decide whether to punish the 58-year-old lawyer and the level of disciplinary action based on the results of the investigation.

“We will mobilize all possible means to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents,” Kim Hyung-cheol, a spokesman for the bar association, said.

Kwon rose to fame as a political commentator with her outspoken criticism against liberals, especially former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, who was considered one of the closest confidants of former President Moon Jae-in.

The former minister, who left office just 35 days after his appointment amid intensifying controversy over academic fraud and other corruption allegations involving his family, was found guilty in February this year and sentenced to a two-year prison term.

Kwon represented the mother of the 16-year-old girl who took her own life in 2015 after suffering from school bullying, as the girl's mother filed a compensation suit against the perpetrators, their parents and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

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The mother appealed a decision by a district court that ruled partially in her favor.

Kwon represented the mother in both district and appeals courts.

But the appeals court ruled against the mother. The reason became known belatedly ― her legal representative failed to show up to the trials three times in a row between September and November last year. In this case, it was deemed that the plaintiff had dropped the case according to the Civil Proceedings Act.

Because of the lawyer's non-attendance at the appeals court, the decision made by the district court was overturned.

Kwon became the subject of intense controversy, as she hid the legal defeat from the mother for five months.

The mother is currently preparing to file a compensation suit against the lawyer.

“Punishment such as suspension doesn't mean anything, as in that case, Kwon can resume her work as a lawyer again after three years,” Lee Gi-cheol, the mother of the victim, said in an interview with MBC radio regarding the bar association's move to take disciplinary action against Kwon.

The Korean Pediatric Association (KPA) joined the mother in calling for the disqualification of the lawyer.

“The highest level of disciplinary action should be taken against attorney Kwon Gyeong-ae as she failed to fulfill her duties as a lawyer, brought disgrace to the death of a victim of school bullying and treat the bereaved family with disdain,” the KPA said in its petition submitted to the bar association.

According to several media reports, Kwon, who quit a law firm recently following the growing controversy, said she “will bear what I have to be responsible for.”