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Full Victory in Service Fee and Damages ClaimCivil
Full Victory in Media Art Exhibition Service Fee and Damages Lawsuit
The clients were several video content production companies that participated in a large-scale media art exhibition organized by a well-known cultural institution in Korea. Each production company entered into service agreements worth several hundred million KRW to create video and media content for the exhibition. The contracted work was fully completed and delivered in accordance with the agreements. Additional contracts were later executed due to extensions of the exhibition period. However, even after the exhibition concluded, the organizer failed to pay most of the service fees owed to the production companies. The total unpaid amount across the four companies reached approximately KRW 1.35 billion. The clients subsequently retained Decent Law Firm’s civil litigation team to pursue legal action.
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Non-Prosecution DecisionCrypto
Crypto Fraud & AML Act Violation Case
A virtual asset investment platform operator sold certain cryptocurrency tokens to retail investors. The tokens were marketed at prices significantly lower than the prevailing market price, with promotional claims suggesting that substantial profits could be expected once the tokens were listed on a Korean cryptocurrency exchange. However, the token prices later collapsed, and the anticipated exchange listing never materialized. As a result, numerous investors filed criminal complaints alleging fraud and illegal virtual asset business operations. Investigators viewed the token sales structure as a potential violation of Korea’s Act on Reporting and Use of Certain Financial Transaction Information (commonly referred to as the “Special Financial Transactions Act” or “AML Act”), particularly the registration requirements applicable to virtual asset service providers (VASPs). The authorities launched a broad investigation involving dozens of individuals, including employees engaged in token sales activities. Our clients were sales employees working for the platform operator. Although they had no ownership or managerial authority, they were suspected of participating in an organized crypto fraud scheme and sought legal assistance from Decent Law Firm’s Digital Asset Team.
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Suspension of IndictmentCriminal
Nominee Ownership of Real Estate in Korea: Non-Prosecution Success Case Under the Real Estate Real Name Act
The client was a young adult in his early twenties who had only recently begun his professional and independent life through a small business venture when he unexpectedly became involved in a criminal investigation. The client’s parents had suffered financial losses amounting to several billion KRW after being victimized by a business partner involved in fraud and embezzlement. As part of the recovery process, the parties agreed that a piece of real estate owned by the offender would be transferred as payment in lieu of cash compensation. However, both parents were unable to obtain financing due to credit-related issues at the time. As a result, the parents asked the client, who was eligible for a mortgage loan, to temporarily hold title to the property in his name. Unable to ignore his parents’ urgent circumstances, the client agreed to act as the nominal titleholder. During the registration process, however, the judicial scrivener reported the legal basis of the transfer as a “sale” instead of the actual arrangement involving debt settlement through property transfer. Consequently, the client became subject to a criminal investigation for alleged violations of the Korean Real Estate Real Name Act and the Act on Special Measures for the Registration of Real Estate.
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Appeal DismissedCriminal
Parking Damage Claim Dismissed on Appeal – Successful Defense Case
Decent Law Firm’s Civil Litigation Team represented a corporate client that had been sued for damages arising from a vehicle damage incident in a parking facility. Following a favorable judgment at the trial level, we successfully secured a dismissal of the plaintiff’s claim again at the appellate stage. The plaintiff alleged that after parking in a mechanical parking system, parts of the vehicle—including the trunk—were found damaged. Based on this, the plaintiff claimed approximately KRW 15 million in damages, asserting that our client was the operator and manager of the parking facility. However, our client was merely a service provider supplying on-site personnel. The actual authority and responsibility for operating and managing the parking facility rested with a separate asset management company. Despite this, the plaintiff attempted to impose liability on our client based solely on superficial factors such as payment terminals and receipts issued under our client’s name.
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Successful Completion of Foreign Investment ReportingCross-border · Dispute Resolution
Foreign Investment Report Filing for a Japanese Corporation Acquiring Shares in a Korean Company
Decent Law Firm’s International Practice Group represented a Japan-based company in completing the foreign investment reporting process under the Foreign Investment Promotion Act for the acquisition of shares in a Korean company. The client, a Japanese corporation with no existing office or entity in Korea, sought to acquire management control of a Korean business through a share purchase from a local partner. Under Korean law, a foreign investment report must be completed prior to the remittance of investment funds. However, the process involves a complex set of documentation requirements, including notarization and apostille certifications, many of which must be prepared in the investor’s home jurisdiction. As such, a structured and end-to-end legal approach was required.
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Non-Prosecution Decision (No Charges Filed)Criminal
No Prosecution (No Charges) in a Stalking Act Violation Case
The client, upon discovering their spouse’s extramarital affair, contacted the affair partner multiple times via KakaoTalk and text messages to confirm the facts and inquire about a potential settlement in connection with a future civil claim. From the client’s perspective, the situation was highly distressing. The spouse had been consistently deleting KakaoTalk messages before returning home, and the client confirmed the existence of the affair through digital forensics. In an effort to verify the facts directly, the client initiated contact with the affair partner. However, the complainant alleged that the client continued sending messages even after being asked to stop, and filed a criminal complaint for violation of the Stalking Punishment Act. If found guilty, the client faced a serious criminal penalty of up to 3 years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to KRW 30 million.
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Non-Prosecution Decision (No Charges Filed)Crypto
Non-Prosecution (No Charges) in Crypto Copy Trading Fraud Allegations
The Digital Assets Practice Group at Decent Law Firm represented a client who had been accused of fraud and violations of the Act on the Protection of Virtual Asset Users in connection with crypto copy trading services. The client, while working at a cryptocurrency investment company, introduced spot and futures trading strategies and explained a copy trading service to the complainant, whom he had met through a YouTube channel. The complainant later signed up with an exchange and participated in the copy trading program. After incurring investment losses, the complainant filed a criminal complaint, alleging that the client had deceived him from the outset with the intent to collect fees without any genuine intention to generate profits. The client consistently maintained that he had repeatedly disclosed the risks of investment, the leveraged trading structure, and the applicable fee system, and that there had been no intent to deceive or misappropriate funds.
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Decision of Non-transfer (Acquittal on All Charges)Crypto
Successful Defense Against Charges of Professional Breach of Trust and Trade Secret Misappropriation
The Decent Law Firm Virtual Asset Special Task Force successfully represented a client accused of Professional Breach of Trust, Violation of the Commercial Act (Special Breach of Trust), and Violation of the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act. Through our proactive legal intervention during the investigative stage, we secured a Decision of Non-transfer (Acquittal/No Charges) for all counts. The client was a former executive at a virtual asset-related company. After the client resigned to start a new venture, the former employer faced financial difficulties and sent a notice of claim for damages, followed immediately by a criminal complaint. The charges were severe, carrying the risk of heavy imprisonment. The complainant alleged that the client had arbitrarily settled referral commissions (rebates) from the Bitget exchange, leaked company funds to third parties, and misappropriated a proprietary trading indicator, which they claimed was a protected trade secret.
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Police Decision of Non-Referral (Dismissal due to La...Crypto
Police Decision of Non-Referral in Crypto Exchange Fraud Case
The Decent Law Firm Virtual Asset Task Force successfully defended a client accused of fraud related to cryptocurrency investment solicitations. Through proactive legal advocacy during the investigation stage, we secured a "No Suspicion" decision, preventing the case from being transferred to the prosecution. The client, a professional in the investment sector, was sued by acquaintances after introducing them to a specific virtual asset exchange. The accusers claimed that the client colluded with the exchange to promote an unregistered platform, promising a 30% deposit bonus and guaranteed withdrawals without the intent or ability to fulfill those promises. The case involved USDT worth approximately 18 million KRW.
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Full Judgment for Plaintiff: Sublease Deposit Refund...Civil
Sharehouse Sublease Deposit Recovery — Full Victory
Decent Law Firm's civil litigation team represented a client who had entered into a sublease agreement for a sharehouse, filing a deposit refund claim against a sublessor who refused to return the deposit — and secured a full judgment in the client's favor. The client found the sharehouse through a Korean online community and entered into a sublease agreement with the defendant, paying a security deposit and monthly rent. After paying an initial deposit upfront, the client transferred the remaining balance along with the first month's rent directly to the defendant's account. The defendant was the first to announce their intention to vacate, notifying the client to find alternative housing as well. The sublease was accordingly terminated. However, when the client requested the return of the deposit, the defendant refused, claiming that renovation costs made repayment impossible. The defendant later produced photographs of uncertain origin and a contractor's estimate in an attempt to hold the client liable for alleged damages.
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Arrest Warrant DeniedCriminal
Arrest Warrant Denied: Bodily Injury Resulting in Death
The Decent Law Firm Criminal Defense Team successfully represented a client facing an arrest warrant for Bodily Injury Resulting in Death. We secured a rejection (denial) of the warrant during the Pre-trial Detention Hearing (Arrest Warrant Review), allowing the client to remain free during the legal process. The client became involved in an unexpected altercation during a meal with acquaintances. While there was a verbal argument and a minor physical scuffle at the scene, the tragic death of the victim was actually caused by an assault committed by a third party later on. Despite this, law enforcement labeled our client as a "joint principal offender" (accomplice), claiming he acted in concert with the third party, and subsequently applied for an arrest warrant. However, the factual "joint crime structure" presented by the prosecution was significantly different from what actually occurred.
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Quasi-Investment Advisory Service Agreement DeliveredCrypto
Quasi-Investment Advisory Subscription Service Agreement — Legal Review
Decent Law Firm's virtual asset team advised a startup planning to launch a premium monthly subscription service offering stock and cryptocurrency investment information. The service was structured around hidden research content, institutional buying and short-selling analysis indicators, insight publications, Telegram live sessions, and offline meetups — priced at several hundred thousand Korean won per month. Given the nature of the service, two regulatory frameworks applied simultaneously: quasi-investment advisory regulations under the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act, and digital content and subscription service rules under the E-Commerce Act. The client needed a comprehensive review to determine whether their existing agreement was sufficient and how to reduce exposure to criminal, administrative, and civil liability.
