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Until the end of the SBS exploration report, the Panda team reported on this case about a conglomerate, a lawyer from a high-ranking government prosecutor's office hired by a chaebol corporation in Korea. Our company is Hyosung, the 20th largest company in Korea with over 50 affiliates.

Hyosung is accused of not paying more than KRW100 billion in honorary chairman Cho Suk-rae's life, and Cho Hyun-joon, the eldest son, has been indicted on charges of embezzlement of 20 billion won.

Apart from what we just mentioned, the family members are involved in other lawsuits, and our coverage team has obtained Hyosung internal data related to attorneys' fees. I analyzed it and found that most of the lawyer costs were not paid by the company but the amount was up to 40 billion won. I had a lawyer from the highest office of the prosecution for that money, so let me start by explaining why I spent so much money on this lawyer.

First, it is Kim Ji-sung.

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The prosecution has conducted a massive investigation into corporate corruption involving Hyosung's family members.

First 2013. Cho Seok-rae, chairman of the board of directors, and Cho Hyun-joon, the chairman of the board of directors,

[Jo Suk-rae / Hyosung Honorary Chairman (December 2013): I will be faithful to the prosecution investigation.]

From this investigation, Hyosung acquired the contracts and internal accounting documents signed with lawyers until the end of the investigation.

The cost of attorneys spent by the company was only 12.1 billion won in the investigation stage, which began in 2013.

Kim and Chang filed lawsuits worth 6.68 billion won, and other law firms and lawyers from the high-ranking prosecution attorney general paid 5,240 million won.

When this investigation was completed, the son of Cho Suk-rae accused Cho Jin-jun, the eldest son of the honorary president, and a brother Hyosung broke out.

This is 2014, but the prosecution investigation began in 2017.

[Cho Hyun-joon / President Hyosung (January 2018): I am sorry to have caused many controversies due to family problems.]

Until the prosecution of Cho Hyun-joon for suspected embezzlement of 20 billion won, the lawyer of investigation stage cost 18.6 billion won out of last year.

At this time, Kim and Jeong had the largest amount of 12.39 billion won, and other law firms and the prosecution attorneys allotted 6.3 billion won.

The cost of attorneys spent by Hyosung in the investigation of both cases is over 30 billion won.

In addition to Kim and Jeong, Kim and Jeong were both prosecutors' attorneys who were called as' stars of prosecutors'.

That's not all. In addition to Hyosung's headquarters, six affiliates of Hyosung, including Hyosung TNS, have been found to have paid about 10 billion won to attorneys' fees for cases involving corruption.

We have spent more than 40 billion won on our company and its affiliates to defend corporate corruption related to the total number of households.

[Kim Nam-keun / Executive Committee member of Pyeongtaek Economic and Financial Center: I think that most lawyers 'expenses are astronomical numbers far exceeding the level of general attorneys' fees, so I think that they are expecting something like other influences.]

Hyosung said that it is estimated that it is about 20 billion won, which is about half of the amount covered by SBS.

In addition, it is the position that there is no problem about the expense of attorneys' expenses, not only the total number of days but also the fact that I wrote it for the profit of the company at the time.

[Hyosung officials: We think that the company will bear the part to be borne by the company, and the individuals will bear the legal expenses due to the strict division of the part to be borne by the individual.]

However, the legal perspective is different.

If the company spends on attorneys' fees for defendants such as tax evasion and embezzlement, this could be another embezzlement or hijacking.

[Kim Ji-mi / Chairman of the Minshuku judicial committee: You can see the money of the company and the property of the shareholder. But if you write about solving any legal disputes that are personally problematic, I think that eventually it would be embezzlement, whether it is for the company or whatever.

Some of the money is paid by the total number of individuals.

In the internal data of Hyosung, it is said that in the process of investigation of the prosecution and the subsequent trial, 17.7 billion won of attorneys' fees were paid by the honorary chairman of Cho Suk - rae and the name of Cho Hyun - joon.

It is mainly attorney's fees for the trial process.

However, it is necessary to investigate whether the actual total amount has been paid by claiming that some of the money was paid in cash, or the bank account number is not disclosed.

The National Police Agency and the Internal Revenue Service are conducting investigations and tax investigations into whether the expenses of lawyers of Hyosung and six affiliates have been appropriately paid.

(Video coverage: Ji-sun, Cho Chang-hyun, image editing: Jang Hyun-ki)