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No-Charge Decision (Suspicion Unfounded) on All CountsCriminal
Charges Dropped — Violations of Korea's Child and Youth Protection Act and Special Act on Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes
Decent Law Firm represented a client who had been arrested on charges of violating Korea's Act on the Protection of Children and Youth from Sexual Abuse (hereinafter "CYPA") and the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes (hereinafter "SCPSVC"). Through aggressive defense representation at the investigation stage, our team secured a no-charge decision (suspicion unfounded) on all counts. The charges brought against the client were: ① rape under the CYPA, ② production of child sexual exploitation material under the CYPA, and ③ illegal filming using a camera under the SCPSVC — all of which carry severe criminal penalties upon conviction in South Korea. The client had met the complainant through social media. Following the encounter, the client was reported to police and arrested on the same day the alleged incident occurred. The client was subsequently released after the prosecution declined to seek a detention warrant, but the serious charges remained pending. The client maintained throughout that all conduct had taken place with the other party's full and voluntary consent. Decent Law Firm was retained from the very beginning of the investigation and moved immediately to mount an active defense.
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Delivery of a Legal Review Opinion on Virtual Asset ...Crypto
NFT & Virtual Asset Distribution Structure: Legal and Tax Advisory
Decent Law Firm's Virtual Asset Practice represented a company operating in the Web3 ecosystem — providing planning, branding, distribution, and monetization consulting for creators' original works through virtual asset-based structures. The firm provided comprehensive legal and tax advisory on the distribution of NFT auction proceeds and the appropriate tax treatment of those funds. The client had received NFT auction proceeds in stablecoins through an overseas auction platform and recognized that distributing those funds between the creator and the company carried significant legal and tax risk. They engaged Decent for structured guidance. A further complication: under current Korean regulations, it remains practically difficult for general for-profit corporations to open a corporate real-name account at a domestic exchange for virtual asset transactions. Access is being permitted only in limited, phased stages in line with the financial regulator's roadmap — making legally compliant operational structures an urgent priority.
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Full Victory at Both Trial and Appellate LevelsCivil
Full Victory in Both Trial and Appeal for Service Fee (Contract Payment) Claim
The client, Company A, is a video production company that entered into a contract to produce a music video for a K-pop girl group debut, with a total contract value of KRW 100 million. At the same time, the parties structured an additional sublease agreement for office expansion. Part of the service fee was offset against the lease deposit, creating a combined contractual structure. The client fulfilled its obligations and delivered the final music video within the agreed deadline. However, the opposing company failed to: • Pay the remaining balance of KRW 25 million and VAT of KRW 10 million, and • Return the lease deposit of KRW 75 million after the sublease term ended. Despite repeated requests, the defendant refused to resolve the matter, citing financial difficulties. The client then sought legal assistance from Decent Law Firm to recover the unpaid amounts.
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Delivery of a Stock Option AgreementCorporate & Biz
Stock Option (Statutory Share Option) Agreement Advisory — IT Startup in South Korea
The Corporate Practice Group at Decent Law Firm (Seoul, Korea) represented an IT startup in advising on the full process of granting statutory share options (stock options) to three full-time employees, including the design of required corporate procedures under Korean commercial law and the drafting of the relevant agreements. The client sought to grant stock options as a means of attracting and retaining key talent, but needed practical guidance on how to satisfy the legal requirements under Korean law — including shareholder meeting resolutions, articles of incorporation review, and registration procedures. Decent Law Firm's Corporate Practice Group conducted a thorough review of the required procedures under the Korean Commercial Act and delivered a ready-to-use stock option agreement tailored to the client's circumstances.
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Supreme Court VictoryCivil
Game Account Fraud — Unjust Enrichment Claim Won at Every Level, Including the Supreme Court
Client A sought to purchase a high-value character account in an online game, making contact with the seller and an associated party. The seller promised to transfer a full "Lineage" game account, including the character and all equipped items. Trusting this, Client A wired 100 million KRW (approximately USD 75,000) to the seller's account. Nothing was delivered — no account, no items, no refund. The seller refused to return the money, claiming it had all been spent purchasing in-game items.
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Delivery of a Formal Legal Opinion on the Legality o...Crypto
Legal Review of Crypto Referral Services in South Korea: VASP Status and Compliance
The Virtual Asset Task Force at Decent Law Firm represented a marketing company operating a business model centered around cryptocurrency exchange referral codes in South Korea. We conducted a comprehensive legal audit to ensure their operations complied with the Act on Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information (the "Specified Financial Information Act") and other local virtual asset regulations. The client operates online platforms (YouTube, blogs, SNS) providing guides on virtual asset trading and exchange usage. Their revenue model involves distributing referral codes and receiving commissions for new user acquisitions. As South Korean financial authorities have recently tightened their interpretation of "brokerage" activities, the client faced an urgent need to mitigate the risk of criminal penalties for "unregistered business operations" and to establish a legally compliant operational scope. Decent Law Firm’s specialized team cleared the regulatory ambiguity and provided a Compliance Guideline Package that the client could immediately implement.
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VC Investment Execution Document Package — DeliveredVC · Financial Advisory
AI Medical Device Startup — RCPS Issuance Advisory
TDecent Law Firm's Corporate Practice Group advised an AI-based medical device technology company on the issuance of Redeemable Convertible Preferred Shares (RCPS) in a down-round VC investment structure, including the design of all required corporate law procedures. The client was in the process of securing a new round of VC funding while existing preferred shares were already outstanding. The incoming investment was priced at a lower valuation than the previous round — a classic down-round structure — and the transaction timeline was tight. Decent Law Firm was engaged to ensure the round could close without legal exposure, providing a comprehensive set of procedural documentation ready for immediate use.
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Delivery of a Legally Structured Consulting Agreemen...Crypto
Legal Advisory on a Contract for Crypto Arbitrage Infrastructure Consulting Services
The client, a virtual asset consulting service provider (Mr. A), requested legal review and drafting of a consulting agreement for a service designed to help customers build an environment for cryptocurrency arbitrage between domestic and overseas exchanges. The service structure included guidance on exchange account operation, procedures for overseas remittances, and education on automated trading programs so that customers could independently conduct arbitrage trading. Crypto arbitrage services may involve multiple overlapping regulatory frameworks, including the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, the Capital Markets Act, and the Act on Reporting and Use of Certain Financial Transaction Information (AML Act). If the contractual structure is improperly designed, it may expose the service provider to potential criminal or administrative risks, such as unregistered foreign exchange services, illegal investment advisory activities, or violations of the Act on the Regulation of Conducting Fund-Raising Business Without Permission (similar to illegal deposit-taking schemes). To ensure regulatory compliance and minimize potential disputes with customers, the client sought legal assistance from Decent Law Firm’s Digital Asset Team.
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Delivery of an Independent AML External Audit Report...Crypto
Preparation of an Independent AML External Audit Report for a Virtual Asset Exchange
A domestic virtual asset exchange (“Company A”) engaged Decent Law Firm to conduct an independent external audit of its Anti-Money Laundering (AML) framework, as required under the Act on Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information (the “Special Financial Transactions Act”) and Article 15 of the Operational Regulations on Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (the “Operational Regulations”). Under the Special Financial Transactions Act, Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) are obligated to establish and maintain an AML system and to undergo an independent review at least once annually. Amid increasing regulatory scrutiny from supervisory authorities, Company A sought an objective assessment of whether its AML framework complied with current legal and regulatory standards and to proactively identify potential compliance risks. For this purpose, the company retained Decent Law Firm’s Digital Asset & Virtual Asset Practice Group.
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Provision of a Legal Listing Opinion for an Overseas...Crypto
Preparation of a Legal Listing Opinion for the Domestic Exchange Listing of an Overseas-Issued Utility Token
An overseas blockchain project company (“Company A”) sought to list its utility token on a domestic virtual asset exchange in Korea. The token issued by Company A was designed for functional use within a Layer 2 blockchain ecosystem based on decentralized identity (DID) and digital trust infrastructure. It was structured to be used solely for functional purposes such as access to platform services and participation in network operations. In Korea, virtual asset exchanges conduct a critical regulatory review during the listing process to determine whether a token qualifies as a “security” under the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act (the “Capital Markets Act”). If classified as an investment contract security, the token cannot be listed or distributed on a domestic exchange without compliance with securities registration and licensing requirements. To proactively address these regulatory risks and secure a formal legal listing opinion for submission during the exchange review process, Company A engaged Decent Law Firm’s Digital Asset Practice Group.
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Judgment in Favor of the PlaintiffCivil
Successful Claim for Agreed Legal Fees Following False and Defamatory News Reports
The defendant (a journalist) faced an urgent legal crisis after being sued by a leading Korean virtual asset exchange for KRW 1 billion (approximately USD equivalent) in civil damages, along with a criminal complaint for defamation and related offenses, on the grounds of alleged false and malicious reporting. Decent Law Firm undertook both the civil and criminal matters simultaneously and implemented a coordinated litigation strategy to resolve the complex dispute. As a result, Decent successfully obtained a non-indictment decision (no charges) in the criminal case. Following this outcome, the virtual asset exchange withdrew its civil lawsuit, and the client’s exposure to the KRW 1 billion damages claim was fully eliminated. However, after the matter had been completely resolved, the defendant refused to pay the agreed success fee. Instead, the defendant published defamatory articles targeting Decent Law Firm and adopted a coercive stance, attempting to avoid payment through malicious reporting.
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Provision of a Fully Revised and Legally Structured NDACorporate & Biz
NDA Review and Amendment Advisory
A global data platform company (“Client A”) sought legal assistance from Decent Law Firm in preparation for executing a new Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with its business partner (“Company B”) in connection with participation in a government-sponsored Data/AI Voucher Program. Although the parties had previously entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), practical collaboration reached a stage where highly sensitive business plans and proprietary technical information were to be exchanged. At that point, limitations and ambiguities in the existing confidentiality framework became apparent. Client A engaged Decent Law Firm to ensure comprehensive protection of its proprietary business plan and technical know-how, while clearly defining the legal relationship between the existing MOU and the newly proposed NDA.
