Did Video Kill the Radio Star? The Endgame of a Ten-Year War Between LawTalk and the Korean Bar Association

Digitization has enabled two-sided platforms to reshape search and access in professional service markets long coordinated by incumbent associations. This paper examines the decade-long conflict between LawTalk and the Korean Bar Association and places it in comparative perspective with similar disputes in real estate, tax services, telemedicine, and mobility. Building on two-sided market theory, differentiated-product competition, and recent empirical evidence from Korea’s legal-services market, the paper argues that platform entry in credence-goods markets tends to expand demand by reducing search friction and widening the product space rather than merely reallocating existing demand. The LawTalk case demonstrates how a regulatory shift, from exclusion toward coexistence, can allow for lawful intermediation while maintaining core professional norms. The paper concludes that policy should govern the interface through transparency, auditability, and a clear separation between advertising and professional services, instead of categorical restrictions that reduce access without welfare gains.