Korean Bar Association Revokes Kweon's Registration Over Illegal Funds Conviction

The Korean Bar Association (KBA) canceled the lawyer registration of Kweon Seong-dong, former People Power Party lawmaker, whose prison sentence was finalized by the Supreme Court last month. Kweon was sentenced to two years in prison for charges of receiving 100 million Korean won in illegal political funds from the Unification Church.

According to a source familiar with the matter on the 21st, the KBA received an order from the Ministry of Justice on the 14th to cancel Kweon’s registration and recently carried out the cancellation.

Under the Attorney Act, a registered lawyer who receives a confirmed prison sentence or heavier penalty is subject to disqualification. In such cases, the Minister of Justice must order the KBA to cancel the registration.

Kweon was accused of receiving 100 million Korean won from Yun Young-ho, former Unification Church global headquarters chairman, on January 5, 2022, ahead of the 20th presidential election. At the time, Yun reportedly requested Kweon to have Yoon Suk-yeol, then-presidential candidate, attend a Unification Church event scheduled for February 2022, and proposed that the church could mobilize its followers to support Yoon’s election.

Earlier, the first and second trials sentenced Kweon to two years in prison and a 100 million Korean won confiscation order, and the ruling was finalized by the Supreme Court on July 16. With the confirmed prison sentence, Kweon lost his parliamentary seat.