Seong Jin Choi

Practice Areas

Mr. Seong-Jin Choi is a partner of Shin & Kim and his major practice areas include corporate crime, high-tech crime, financial crime, money laundering, intellectual property rights, personal information protection, information and communications, forensic science, etc.

Starting his career as a prosecutor at the Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office in 1997, Mr. Choi had been in charge of special investigations at Northern Branch of the Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office, Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, etc. In particular, he investigated politicians and large corporations as a member of the presidential election funds investigation team of the Central Investigation Unit of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. In addition, he participated in the implementation project for Korea Information System of Criminal-Justice Services (KICS) of the police, prosecution service, courts and the Ministry of Justice and was dispatched to the Special Prosecutors’ Office on DDos, while accumulating experience in forensic science including information and communications and digital forensic science and in cybercrime investigation, serving as Digital Forensic Science Officer and Forensic Science Planning Officer at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.

In addition, Mr. Choi worked at the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit of the Financial Services Commission, engaging in the anti-money laundering task, such as the analysis of illegal financial transaction and foreign exchange transaction.

Career

Member, 6th Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Advisory Committee, Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission (2024-Present)

Vice President, Korean Digital Forensics Society (2023-Present)

Advisor, Anti-Corruption and Compliance Academy, Yonsei University Institute for Legal Studies (2021-2023)

Chairman, 4th DNA-DB Management Committee under the Prime Minister’s Office (2019-2022)

Integrity Ombudsman, Korea Asset Management Corporation (2019-2021)

Member, Prosecutorial Informatization Development Advisory Committee, Supreme Prosecutors’ Office (2015-Present)

Member, Policy Research Review Committee, Supreme Prosecutors’ Office (2015-Present)

Member, Anti-Money Laundering Policy Advisory Committee, Financial Intelligence Unit (2015-2017)

Shin & Kim LLC (2014-Present)

Officer of Forensic Science Planning, Supreme Prosecutor’s Office (2014)

Chief, Criminal Department 1, Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office (2013)

Head, Hongseong Branch, Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office (2012)

Dispatched to Special Prosecutor Office of Cyber Terrorism against the Central Election Management Committee (2012)

Chief, Criminal Department 3, Busan District Prosecutors’ Office (2011)

Chief, Review and Analysis Office, Financial Services Commission (FSC) (2010)

Digital Forensic Science Officer, Supreme Prosecutors’ Office (2009)

Prosecutor Professor, Legal Research and Training Institute (2008)

Senior Prosecutor, Yeoju Branch, Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office (2007)

Planning and Management Director, Taskforce of Criminal Justice Integrative Intelligence, Ministry of Justice (2005)

Prosecutor, Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office; Researcher, Planning and Coordination Division at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office (2004)

Researcher, Central Investigation Division at the Prosecutor-General´s Office (2003)

Prosecutor, Northern Branch, Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office (2000)

Prosecutor, Jecheon Branch, Cheongju District Prosecutors’ Office (1999)

Prosecutor, Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office (1997)

Judge Advocate, Republic of Korea Army (1994-1997)

Judicial Research & Training Institute, Supreme Court of Korea (1992-1994)

Professional Memberships

Korean Bar

Publications

The Law Review – International Investigations Review 2017-2022: Korea Chapter (Co-authored)

GIR Insight – GIR Know-How Extradition 2019-2021: Korea Chapter (Co-authored)

Prevention System of Transactions under Borrowed Name and Money Laundering (Finance Law Center, Seoul National University, BFL Issue no. 46, March, 2011)

Legal Restrictions on Unauthorized Use of Wireless Internet (Law and Technology vol. 6 Issue no. 3, May, 2010)

Study on the Patentability of Computer Program (LL.M. Thesis, May 2002)

Government’s Compensation and Personal Responsibility of Government Official (Master’s Thesis, February 1997)

Work Highlights

Corruption Crimes such as Corporate Crimes, Bribery, and Financial Crimes

Specialized in special investigations at the Central Investigation Division, Seoul Northern District Prosecutors’ Office, Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, etc.

Advised on case of embezzlement and breach of trust relating to officers and employees of major retail distributors, telecommunication companies, banks, hospitals and state-owned companies

Advised on case of violations of the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act, including insider trading or stock price manipulation relating to large companies

Advised on case of corruption, including bribery, relating to parliamentarians, mayors, professors, public educational officials, police officers, banks and officers and employees of construction companies

Industrial Secrets Protection, Trade Secret Infringement, Personal Information Protection, and Intellectual Property Rights

Specialized in intellectual property rights at the Criminal Division VI of the Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office

Advised major telecommunication companies, retail distributors, multinational travel agencies and HR companies on case of infringement of personal information

Advised a mid-sized company and a cosmetics company on case of infringement of business secrets

Advised on case of fraud and violations of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection relating to virtual currency IOC and hacking

Election Act, Collective Action, and Labor-Management Relations

Advised on case of violations of the Election Commission Act relating to various elective offices, including the parliamentarian and union president

Represented in civil and criminal disputes regarding the relocation of the Noryangjin Fish Market

Represented in civil and criminal disputes within a religious foundation

Represented in an unfair dismissal retrial case following the dismissal of an employee

Represented in a criminal case for violation of the Labor Standards Act of a medium-sized company

Foreign Exchange, Anti-money Laundering, Virtual Currency

Represented in an internal affairs case of a large church and a medium-sized company in violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act

Represented in a criminal case of fraud and occupational embezzlement in connection with the issuance of tokens

Represented in a criminal case involving violation of the Customs Act by an arms importer

Advised an overseas virtual currency exchange on the Act on Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information Act

Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, and Cosmetics

Represented in a case where a multi-level cosmetics company was prosecuted for violation of the Cosmetics Act

Represented in a criminal case against a pharmaceutical company for violation of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act

Advised on case of medicine-related rebates, illegal claim for insurance benefits, establishment of a medical institution by a non-medical practitioner and introduction/brokerage/inducement of patients for profit-making purposes

Represented in a criminal case against a detoxification company for violation of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act in connection with its indirect exports

Advised a foreign company on the Medical Devices Act

Media and Entertainment

Advised on defamation of celebrities and civil and criminal cases

Cross-border Criminal Matters and E-Discovery

Advised on internal investigations into a Korean subsidiary of a multinational company and an affiliate of a large company

Represented in a criminal case against a foreign automotive company for violation of the Motor Vehicle Management Act

Represented in a criminal case against a multinational online platform company for violation of the Telecommunications Business Act

Represented a foreign casino company in a criminal investigation

Represented in an embezzlement case of a Korean subsidiary of a foreign company

Represented in a fraud case against a foreign food export company

Represented in a criminal case involving the intimidation of a foreign ambassador to South Korea

Advised on extradition of officers/employees of a foreign company and advised multinational companies in criminal cases

Handled e-discovery in connection with a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation of a Korean conglomerate

Advised corporate clients on various subjects, including anti-money laundering, FCPA and World Bank sanctions

Compliance, Internal Investigations, and Digital Forensics

Advised on internal investigation of a Korean subsidiary of a multinational corporation

Advised on internal investigation of embezzlement in the business affairs of a foreign publishing company

Advised on PC and server analysis to secure evidence in a virtual currency theft case

Advised on mobile analysis in a case of secret leakage at a Korean platform company

Advised on digital forensics for information leakage related to medical device manufacturing

Advised a multinational online service company on AML/CFT compliance

Advised a foreign company on anti-corruption compliance

Education