On Jan. 29, 2026, a revision to the Attorney-at-Law Act aimed at institutionally protecting confidential communications between lawyers and clients passed the National Assembly plenary session. It is set to take effect Feb. 20, 2027.
The change is expected to codify attorney-client privilege, or ACP (Attorney-Client Privilege), which had previously been recognized only in limited circumstances through lower-court rulings. The organizers said the seminar was designed to review legal and practical issues tied to ACP’s introduction and to consider corporate response strategies.
The program opened with remarks by Lim Seong-taek, managing partner at Jipyeong, and a congratulatory address by Lee Geun-woo, president of the association, followed by three presentations and a panel discussion.
In the first session, Jang Pum, a partner at Jipyeong, spoke on preparations for ACP, reviewing shifts reflected in recent court decisions and outlining key requirements for privilege to be recognized.
In the second, Park Seung-dae, also a Jipyeong partner, discussed response strategies for investigative and oversight agencies, offering approaches for handling disputes over whether materials qualify for ACP protection.
In the third, Kim Jin-hee, a senior foreign attorney at Jipyeong, presented on overseas examples and best practices, stressing the need for Korean companies to build global-standard practices for documents, investigations and the use of AI on the premise that ACP applies.
The panel discussion was moderated by Lee Sang-won, professor emeritus at Seoul National University, with participants including Lee Geun-woo, a professor at Gachon University; Park Jun-yeon, an attorney at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer; and Kim Ga-yeon, an executive at X (formerly Twitter) Korea.
“An important task is to use ACP as an opportunity to advance corporate compliance management and risk-control systems and, through that, strengthen competitiveness,” Lim said. He added that Jipyeong will continue providing practical advice so companies can respond proactively to ACP legislation, including by refining internal standards and building systems to respond to investigations and probes.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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