The Korean Bar Association(KBA) launched an investigation into members' use of legal aid mobile apps, hours after a new rule went into effect that bans them from offering legal services through such platforms.

In a statement on Thursday, the KBA said following the investigation, its disciplinary committee will decide on appropriate action in accordance with the revised regulations.

The group said petitions have been filed against around one-thousand-440 lawyers registered with the controversial app LawTalk and others, while some 500 were filed with the Seoul Bar Association.

The KBA accuses the app operators of acting as illegal brokers and attempting to control the registered lawyers.

With some two-thousand-900 lawyers currently registered with LawTalk, its operator Law and Company, which claims the app is a legal advertising platform, pledged to support them should they be penalized.

The company and the lawyers also filed an injunction with the Constitutional Court in June to stop the new rule from taking effect.