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| Choi Chung-hwan, a partner at Lee & Ko and president of the International Association of Korean Lawyers, speaks about the upcoming International Bar Association conference in Seoul during a June 4 interview. Choi is the chairman of the organizing committee for the event happening from Sept. 22 to 27. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
South Korean capital to host annual IBA conference
By Lee Suh-yoon
South Korean lawyers are trying to invite North Korean lawyers to the International Bar Association (IBA) conference, one of the biggest annual gatherings of lawyers, which will take place in Seoul this fall, according to the head of its organizing committee.
Though the speakers' list is not finalized yet, he says the event will feature participants who embody Seoul's unique position in the geopolitical arena and global economy.
"We are working to invite North Korean lawyers to the event, as well as IT experts to run special sessions on AI and electric car regulations," Choi Chung-hwan, chairman of the organizing committee for the Seoul IBA conference, said in an interview with The Korea Times at his office, June 4.
North Korean legal experts have so far participated in events organized by LAWASIA, but not in any other international gatherings of lawyers, Choi added.
Formed in 1947, the IBA is comprised of 190 bar associations and law societies from around the world. Its annual conference attracts thousands of lawyers to network with other professionals. The conference also provides a diverse range of sessions. Noteworthy topics for this year's conference include sexual harassment in the legal profession, the creation of an international refugee visa and legal issues surrounding self-driving cars.
Around 7,000 lawyers are expected to attend the Seoul IBA conference to be held at COEX, southern Seoul, from Sept. 22 to 27. Choi believes the Korean public's high regard for the rule of law and legal professions makes the city a fitting location for the gathering.
"There aren't many countries where the President and the capital's mayor are both former lawyers," Choi said. "It's quite something, considering the sizeable number of governments around the world that are led by businessmen or military figures."
President Moon Jae-in has been invited to give the opening speech at the conference, though he has yet to confirm his attendance.
The host committee ― which includes the Korean Bar Association and Seoul Metropolitan Government ― is working to make sure the 7,000 expected visitors get a good impression of the city.
"We want them to see how attractive, stable, dynamic and economically developed Korea is," Choi said. An intellectual property expert and partner at Lee & Ko, Choi has years of experience hosting smaller conferences with the International Association of Korean Lawyers, where he holds the position of president.
Choi said Seoul started its bid to host the IBA conference in 2009. The 2019 conference in Seoul, however, was almost called off as military tensions escalated on the Korean Peninsula in 2017 due to successive missile tests by North Korea. After much persuasion of other IBA board members, the association stuck with the plan.
Choi has worked for the entertainment industry for 30 years. When he started in 1989, his clients were American film distributors breaking into the Korean market. Now he caters to a more outbound group, providing his intellectual property law expertise to K-pop artists, Korean entertainment firms, filmmakers and online game producers trying to export their work abroad.
Being a lawyer is a much-coveted, but also crowded profession in Korea, and Choi hopes the conference will provide young Korean lawyers with a foothold to find work opportunities abroad ― especially in countries where Korean companies are doing business.
"The domestic legal services market is saturated and the market is not getting any bigger," Choi said. "Plus, it's a waste of talent to keep all these smart people in Seocho."
Choi's own company employs 130 foreign lawyers to mediate between the Korean law firm and foreign clients. Choi says Korean lawyers can provide similar services to Korean companies working in other countries.
"The South Korean economy is the 11th-largest in the world and Korean companies can be found anywhere in the world," Choi said. "Korean lawyers are needed in countries where Korean companies are active."
Choi hopes in-depth interactions during the conference will lift some of the language and psychological barriers between Korean lawyers and the international legal community.
"Korean lawyers' capabilities are underestimated in the global market," Choi said. "We hope the Seoul IBA conference will raise the overall reputation of Korea's legal community."
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