1. Case Overview
This case involved a dispute over the inheritance of an estate valued at several hundred billion Korean won, with the central issues being the division of inheritance and whether a contribution claim should be recognized. The decedent's children born out of wedlock asserted their inheritance rights as claimants, while the eldest son argued that, as he had succeeded to the family business and managed the company, he had made a "special contribution" to the formation of the estate and therefore should be awarded a 50% contribution share. He further contended that the shares he owned should not be included as a special benefit. Given the scale of the estate, the complexity of the legal issues, and the fact that the opposing side was represented by a large law firm, the case attracted significant attention.

2. Our Strategy and the Court's Decision
We represented the claimants and secured a favorable judgment at first instance. Even after the eldest son retained a major law firm and sought to overturn the outcome on appeal, we successfully obtained dismissal of the appeal.

A decisive element of our strategic advocacy was dismantling the eldest son’s contribution claim. To prove that he had not in fact contributed to the company’s growth despite his titles as CEO and majority shareholder, we conducted an exhaustive analysis of the decedent’s personal notes, corporate records, and prior litigation documents.

The evidence demonstrated persuasively that the eldest son had been unable to engage in company management for extended periods due to alcoholism and had been effectively excluded from key decision-making and the company’s growth.

Further, we established that the shares held by the eldest son—despite lacking the formal appearance of a gift—had in substance been donated by the decedent. Accordingly, the entire value of those shares was included in the calculation of the inheritance portion.

3. Significance
This case is a landmark example of blocking the abuse of the contribution claim system and reaffirming the principle that substance takes precedence over form in determining whether certain property should be treated as a special benefit. By meticulously analyzing complex materials and evidence, we persuasively demonstrated the facts to the court, thereby protecting the rights of our clients in a high-stakes inheritance dispute of unprecedented scale.