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White Collar Crime

Taejin Kim, Managing Partner of Atlas Legal, is a former prosecutor who has directly investigated and prosecuted corporate criminal cases. Drawing on that experience, he develops optimal defense strategies for companies and executives facing criminal exposure. He has obtained acquittals in a series of high-profile cases covered by the media — including a National Assembly member acquitted of bribery, a murder case acquittal, and acquittals for multiple NongHyup employees charged with organized breach of trust.

In white collar defense, we have handled a wide range of corporate criminal matters — embezzlement, breach of trust, and Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes Act (APSECA) violations, tax crimes, customs crimes, Capital Markets Act violations, trade secret theft, Foreign Exchange Transactions Act violations, and accounting fraud. We engage from the earliest stage of an investigation to prevent unnecessary statements, and take responsibility for the full process: search and seizure response, securing non-prosecution dispositions, and minimizing sentencing.

In trade secret cases, we led the first ever search and seizure of a major corporation by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. We pursue an integrated strategy combining criminal complaints, injunctions, and civil litigation to protect our clients’ rights as effectively as possible.

Services

Criminal Defense

Securing non-prosecution dispositions, preparing for suspect interrogations, filing legal opinions, and obtaining acquittals at trial. Defense strategy built on precise knowledge of prosecutorial investigation direction and indictment criteria

Sentencing Mitigation

Identifying mitigating factors, reaching victim settlements, supporting preparation of letters of apology. Comprehensive sentencing strategy aimed at achieving a fine, suspended sentence, or the minimum possible punishment

Criminal Complaint — Corporate Crime

Criminal complaints for embezzlement, breach of trust, tax crimes, and Capital Markets Act violations. Fund flow analysis in collaboration with CPAs and tax accountants, complaint drafting, prosecution briefings, and civil litigation coordination

Trade Secret — Criminal Response

Criminal complaints under the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act, track record of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency search and seizure, combined injunction and civil litigation strategy to halt misuse immediately

Tax & Customs Crimes

Tax evasion, issuance of false tax invoices, smuggling, customs duty evasion, false labeling of origin. Challenging criminal intent, disputing tax assessments, utilizing penalty notifications, and coordinating with tax tribunal proceedings

Specialized Criminal Matters

Capital Markets Act violations (market manipulation, insider trading), Foreign Exchange Transactions Act violations, voice phishing, SOFA-related matters, accounting fraud and financial crimes — specialist criminal defense across these complex areas

When You Need a White Collar Defense Lawyer

  • A police or prosecution investigation begins: Defense counsel must be engaged from the very start. Initial statements often determine the entire trajectory of a case — retain a lawyer immediately.
  • A search and seizure is executed: Exercise the right to have counsel present immediately and verify the scope of items seized. Destroying materials unilaterally can constitute obstruction of justice.
  • An employee’s embezzlement or breach of trust is discovered: A criminal complaint must be filed alongside injunction and damages proceedings. Preserving accounting records and securing evidence is urgent.
  • A departing employee has leaked trade secrets: An injunction application and a criminal complaint must be filed simultaneously. Delayed action allows the damage to spread.
  • A tax audit converts to a criminal tax investigation: Retain a lawyer immediately upon notification. In some cases, a penalty notification (tonggo chobun) can be used to avoid criminal prosecution.
  • A board resolution or management decision is suspected of constituting breach of trust: A legal defense strategy is needed — including arguments for the business judgment rule and absence of actual damage.

Representative Matters

Acquittal

National Assembly member acquitted of bribery — represented a sitting National Assembly member charged with bribery and obtained a full acquittal

Acquittal

NongHyup employees acquitted of organized breach of trust — applied the business judgment rule on behalf of multiple employees charged with breach of trust, obtaining acquittals

Trade Secrets

First ever corporate search and seizure by Seoul Metropolitan Police — a criminal complaint for trade secret theft led to the first compulsory investigation of a major corporation by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency; injunction and civil litigation pursued in parallel to halt the damage

Breach of Trust Defense

Corporate executive — non-prosecution on breach of trust charge — engaged from the outset of the investigation and secured a non-prosecution disposition by arguing the business judgment rule and absence of actual damage

Computer Obstruction

Acquittal on computer obstruction of business charge — argued successfully that the defendant’s system access did not constitute the requisite intent for obstruction of business, obtaining a full acquittal