On December 19, 2023, Lin’s partner Nah Seung Bok (60, Judicial Training Institute, 23rd Class) participated as a panelist in a National Assembly Seminar titled “What is the Right Direction for the Korean Golf Industry?” hosted by National Assembly Member Lee Yong (People Power Party, National Assembly Standing Committee on Culture, Sports and Tourism) and organized by the Korea Golf Industry Association (“KGIA”), and proposed improvements in law for the development of the golf industry.
The seminar was held from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM in the second seminar room of the National Assembly Members' Building. On this day, approximately 30 golf industry professionals, including Chairman Choi Soo Hyun of KGIA Advisory Board (Professor Emeritus at Kookmin University), Secretary-General Kim Yong Eup of KGIA (President of the Korean Social Golfer Association), KGIA Advisory Board Member Lee Dong Hee (Professor at Kookmin University), Attorney Nah Seung Bok (KGIA Auditor), Seo Cheon Beom, President of the Korea Golf Consumer Center, Jang Bo Yoon, LPGA Global Education Team Asia Evaluator, Han Sang Seok, Sophia Green Auditor, Kim Hak Su, Chairman of Mania Times, Kim Tae Woo, Representative of the Golf Caddy Federation, and Nam Hwa Young, jtbc Planning and Production Team Leader, participated in the seminar.
Following the opening remarks by Choi Soo Hyun, Chairman of KGIA’s Advisory Board, Yoo Sang Geon, professor of sports ICT convergence at Sangmyung University, presented the problems and sectoral improvement plans for the Korean golf industry using an analytical model of drama, industry, and governance. Furthermore, Oh Sang Joon, the representative of the Asia Golf Humanities Research Institute, discussed “The Present and Future of Sustainable Golf” by diagnosing current issues through comparisons with various international cases. He also proposed ways to integrate our golf industry with advanced cases.
The discussion was moderated by Lee Dong Hee, a member of KGIA’s Advisory Board, and included Seo Cheon Beom, Attorney Nah Seung Bok, and Evaluator Jang Bo Yoon.
Regarding the legal regulation of the golf industry, Mr. Nah emphasized that “it is time to actively support the popularization of golf through the expansion of public golf courses and eco-friendly golf courses by easing development-related regulations.” In addition, regarding the protection of golfers’ rights, he suggested that “92% of non-membership golf courses (375) was converted to public golf courses in 2023 and received tax benefits such as exemption from individual consumption tax, but there is criticism that setting a high standard fee has led to an increase in usage fees, contradicting the goal of popularizing golf. Therefore, a balanced legal revision is necessary to address this issue.”
“Based on the rich practical experience and integrated teamwork of our construction and real estate team, as well as sports and entertainment team, we will expand our practice to provide one-stop legal services to golf course operators, golf equipment companies, golf media, and other golf stakeholders (associations, professional players, caddies, etc.) for various legal issues, including reviewing laws and providing solutions,” said a representative of Lin.