Yoon & Yang LLC has recruited Kim Sang-moon, former chief of the Ulsan Nambu Police Station and a 35th class graduate of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, as a partner attorney in its criminal defense group, the law firm said Tuesday. The move aims to strengthen its capabilities in responding to police investigations and criminal matters.
Kim is regarded as a criminal case specialist with hands-on experience in both investigative practice and administrative management. After graduating from Shimin High School in Daegu and Korea University's law school, he began his career as head of the investigation division at Guri Police Station in 2006. Over roughly 20 years, he served as chief of the Ulsan Nambu Police Station, investigation review officer at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, chief of the Seoul Bangbae Police Station, head of the criminal affairs division at the North Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency, and head of the investigation division at the North Chungcheong Provincial Police Agency.
"As a legal professional who passed the bar examination, Attorney Kim possesses extensive legal expertise, and having served as investigation review officer at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency as well as head of investigation and criminal affairs divisions at provincial police agencies, he is recognized as a seasoned investigation veteran with a deep understanding of the investigative mechanism from initiation to conclusion," a Yoon & Yang official said.
With Kim's addition, Yoon & Yang plans to offer optimized strategies for effective defense and procedural protection at the police investigation stage. The firm judges that the police investigation stage will become increasingly important amid changes to the investigative structure, including the abolition of the Prosecution Service and the launch of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, and intends to strengthen related capabilities. The firm also plans to establish an integrated response system covering the entire spectrum of criminal cases through collaboration with attorneys from prosecutorial backgrounds.
"With the addition of Attorney Kim Sang-moon, who has deep insight into investigation sites, Yoon & Yang's criminal defense capabilities and competitiveness will become even more distinctive," said Lee Myung-soo, managing partner at Yoon & Yang. "Ahead of the implementation of the prosecution-police investigation authority adjustment, we will continue to recruit experts with outstanding capabilities to continuously elevate the level of client service."
Beyond Kim, Yoon & Yang has been continuously recruiting experts from both prosecutorial and police backgrounds. Since last year, Lee Sung-sik, former third deputy chief prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, and Lee Kyu-moon, former commissioner of the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, have joined the firm. Attorney Lee Sung-sik served as a prosecutor for more than 20 years, holding posts including chief of the public criminal affairs division at the Ministry of Justice and third deputy chief prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. He rotated through assignments covering labor and serious industrial accident cases, election case investigations, and planning. Advisor Lee Kyu-moon, a graduate of the Korean National Police University's law department, strengthened his investigative expertise through posts including head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's regional investigation unit, chief of the Seoul Suseo Police Station, and head of the criminal affairs division at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. From 2018, he served as investigation planning officer and director of the investigation bureau at police headquarters, before going on to serve as commissioner of the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency, deputy commissioner for investigation at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and commissioner of the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency.
