Exclusive
Ham Young-joo Downsizes Legal Team for Remand Trial: Is Hana Financial Group Starting to 'Clear Judicial Risks'?

[비즈한국] It has been confirmed that Ham Young-joo, Chairman of Hana Financial Group086790, has downsized his legal team for the remand trial. Chairman Ham is currently facing charges related to hiring irregularities. While the appellate court previously found him guilty, the Supreme Court remanded the case with the intent of partial acquittal. The legal community views this as a sign that Chairman Ham has effectively shed his judicial risks. There is a high probability of a final acquittal, and even if he were to be found guilty, a final ruling is unlikely to be reached until after his term expires. Analysts suggest that the reduction in the size of his legal team compared to the Supreme Court stage reflects this prevailing sentiment.

Chairman Ham Young-joo was indicted in 2018 on charges including obstruction of business and violation of the Equal Employment Opportunity and Work-Family Balance Assistance Act. This was due to allegations that, during his tenure as President of Hana Bank from 2015 to 2016, he manipulated the scores of certain applicants during open recruitment and pre-instructed the gender ratio for prospective hires. Although the first trial court acquitted him, the second trial court sentenced him to six months in prison and two years of probation.

However, on January 29 of this year, the Supreme Court remanded the case with the intent of partial acquittal. While it upheld the guilty verdict regarding the violation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, it ruled that the obstruction of business charges should be considered with the intent of acquittal. The Supreme Court stated, "It is difficult to see that there is proof superior enough to admit the conspiracy of the defendant (Chairman Ham Young-joo)."

With this, Chairman Ham Young-joo's concerns regarding judicial risks have eased. Under the Act on Corporate Governance of Financial Companies, a person sentenced to imprisonment or heavier cannot serve as an executive of a financial holding company. If one is sentenced to such a penalty while in office, they lose their position. Given the remand with the intent of acquittal, the likelihood of a guilty verdict in the remand trial is low. Even if he were convicted, should he appeal again, it is highly probable that no final decision would be reached before the end of his term in March 2028.

According to Bizhankook's investigation, it has been confirmed that Chairman Ham Young-joo has reduced his legal representation for the remand trial. During the Supreme Court appeal, Chairman Ham had retained law firms including Hwawoo, Jipyong, Haekwang, Songwoo, and Kim & Chang. Kim & Chang had resigned from the case midway through.

For the remand trial, Chairman Ham Young-joo's legal counsel consists of only two firms: Haekwang and Hwawoo. Compared to the Supreme Court stage, the scale of his defense team has shrunk. Both the legal and financial sectors widely believe that Chairman Ham is highly likely to be acquitted regarding the obstruction of business charges. In such an atmosphere, it is assessed that there is little need to maintain a large-scale legal team.

Following the Supreme Court's remand decision, Chairman Ham Young-joo has been focusing on management. In February, Hana Financial Group held a ceremony to proclaim the 'Financial Consumer Protection Charter' and announced it would begin upgrading its management system for group-wide implementation of consumer protection. Chairman Ham stated, "To establish a corporate culture centered on financial consumers, we must make consumer protection our top priority and core competitiveness, dedicating all our capabilities to it," adding, "As the essence of finance ultimately lies in customer trust, let all employees unite and act to ensure the Financial Consumer Protection Charter does not remain a mere slogan."