Lee & Ko jumps to ‘Outstanding’ tier in Intellectual property and Private equity rankings this year. Managing partner Yong Seok Ahn is recognised for his practice in competition/antitrust and corporate and M&A. Staff changes include the hire of competition/antitrust partner Ke Jun Sohn from Jipyong, corporate and M&A partners Chee Kwan Kim from Kim & Chang, Sun Yill Chung from LG Life Sciences, and Byung Hwa Lee from 3M Korea among others. The firm also hired nine dispute resolution partners from different courts and public offices in the past 12 months.
Banking and finance
Work highlights
Advising the lenders including Kookmin Bank and Korea Development Bank on the project financing of the Gwangmyeong-Seoul Expressway PPP.
Key clients
Busan Bank, Daelim Industrial, NH Investment Securities
Capital markets
Work highlights
Acted for Korea Railroad Corporation in relation to the establishment of $2 billion medium term note programme.
Key clients
CareLabs, IGIS Asset Management, Korean Air Lines
Competition/antitrust
Work highlights
Represented 21st Century Fox with respect to Korean merger clearance of Disney’s $71.3 billion acquisition of client’s media holdings. The firm obtained the KFTC’s unconditional clearance of the transaction, despite the US and EU obtained conditional clearance by the competition authorities.
Represented Deutsche Bank throughout the KFTC’s 4-year investigation of the global FX market manipulations, which began as a probe of the Korean effects of the off-shore conduct and expanded to include numerous onshore bid-riggings of FX derivatives transactions with Korean clients.
Key clients
Dong-A Pharmaceutical, Mitsubishi Electric, Rubycon Corporation
Construction
Work highlights
Representing GS Engineering and Construction Corporation in disputes with the subcontractor Orascom Construction concerning the ERC refinery plant project in Mostrod, Egypt.
Key clients
Hyundai Engineering & Construction, POSCO Engineering & Construction
Corporate and M&A
Work highlights
Advised LG Electronics and LG Corporation on their acquisition of ZKW Holdings, a top automotive lighting provider, valued at more than $1 billion.
Represented Lotte Shopping (Hong Kong) Holdings in the sale of two subsidiaries in China to two Chinese retail companies for approximately Rmb 3.11 billion. One subsidiary controls large supermarkets in 22 different locations, while the other subsidiary runs 74 stores and supermarkets in Eastern China, including Shanghai and Jiangsu province.
Key clients
E-mart, General Electric, Kolon Industries, Korean Ocean Business Corporation, Shinsegae
Dispute resolution
Work highlights
Represented Jeju province against a claim brought by landowners in regards to a construction project proposed for tourist attraction. The firm argued that the project was in conformity with the intended land use and public interest. As a result, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the client despite an adverse judgement decided during previous proceedings.
Key clients
Hanjoong Ship Machinery, Republic of Korea, Samsung Electronics, SK Telecom
Intellectual property
Work highlights
Defending Novartis International against a patent invalidation challenge with respect to Myfortic, a blockbuster drug for treating patients who have had a kidney transplant. The firm argued for the validity of the patent by demonstrating the difficulty in manufacturing the drug components in a pill form. At present, the matter is on appeal before the Supreme Court.
Key clients
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Epic Games, Giorgio Armani, King.com
Investment funds
Work highlights
Assisted AIP Asset Management on the establishment of a fund to invest in properties in Denmark.
Key clients
Hana Alternative Investment Asset Management, Hanwha Asset Management
Labour and employment
Work highlights
Representing KPX Chemical in an ordinary wage dispute. The case involves the consideration of bonus payments as components of ordinary wage. The results of this case will provide further clarification on which payment items are to be included in ordinary wage, impacting the future of the employment market.
Key clients
Ansell Korea, Homeplus, McAfee, Novartis Korea, Oriental Brewery, Ralph Lauren
Private equity
Work highlights
Assisted M&C Innovation Private Equity Fund in its acquisition of Feelway. The firm managed all aspects of the transaction including the review of the sale and purchase agreement and shareholders’ agreement.
Key clients
Corstone Growth Strategy M&A Private Equity Fund, Hahn & Co, Heungkuk Asset Management, KB Asset Management, Siren Holdings Korea
Regulatory
Work highlights
Acting for Incublock, one of the leaders in Korea’s fintech industry that operates a cryptocurrency exchange called Coinnest, against charges for fraud and manipulation of exchange data. Due to the lack of concrete regulations in the cryptocurrency industry, criminal litigation over Incublock’s criminality is expected to be precedent-setting.
Key clients
Deutsche Bank, Lenovo, Marriott International, Naver Corporation, Singapore Airlines
Restructuring and insolvency
Work highlights
Represented the Export–Import Bank of Korea as the creditor of a shipbuilding company in its corporate restructuring process. The firm dealt with negotiations to secure the terms of the client’s permanent bonds.
Key clients
Korea Development Bank, Korea Military Mutual Aid Association, Richmond Asset Management, Samwhan Corporation
Tax
Work highlights
Defended ADT Caps against the National Tax Service’s enforcement of taxes on foreign corporations with respect to M&A licence agreements. The firm was able to prove that the tax assessment of the National Tax Service was not consistent with tax law and practices.
Key clients
DB HiTek, EG Inotech, SeAH Holdings Corporation
Client feedback
“A well-established team fully supported in every aspect. Lee & Ko's professionals are well-trained. Their readiness is respectable.” – Aviation
“Excellent knowledge of financial investment and professional response as a corporate law specialist.” – Banking and finance
“Their strength lies in providing a solution when we want to know ‘how to do’ something.” – Capital markets
“The performance of Lee & Ko is excellent and professional, especially in corporate law, labour and employment law, competition and antitrust law, etc.” – Corporate and M&A
“The firm highlighted key risk factors appropriately and offered mitigation strategies and solutions to cover the key risks associated with the transaction.” – Corporate and M&A
“Lawyers of Lee & Ko are professional and kind. The results of the consultation and lawsuit were satisfactory.” – Dispute resolution
“Their advice is very strong and effective and, by evaluating its quality, the cost is reasonable.” – Dispute resolution
“My experience of working with Lee & Ko is full of satisfaction. They are diligent, punctual, and especially strong in the documentation.” – Infrastructure
“Lee & Ko is one of the most active law firms in South Korea. The lawyers who work with our company are very punctual and diligent. For us, this work style is very preferable. In addition, the responsible lawyer for our case has studied Japanese in order to communicate with the Japanese, including us. It is a perfect client service!” – Intellectual property
“The biggest strengths of Lee & Ko's services are case management and engagement with appropriate experts. They provide the case status follow-up in details with the appropriate next step guidance for the company to consider the strategy of the case. I believe this is from experts who have lots of experience for a similar case. Lee & Ko offered room to negotiate the fee and finally provided their service at a reasonable cost.” – Intellectual property
“Very good, especially quick and professional service.” – Intellectual property
“The firm is strong in providing clear and concise advice. Prudent Turnover, but the turnaround time can sometimes be slow.” – Insurance
“Professionalism and politeness are their strengths.” – Labour and employment
“Prompt and attentive. Overall the firm has a good business partnership.” – Labour and employment
“This is one of the top law firms in South Korea. They are extremely strong in litigation and have bilingual attorneys who can handle any type of commercial matters.” – Media and entertainment
“Lee & Ko is a top choice for our firm's legal work due to its focus on client interest, high standard of legal practice as well as on-time response to clients' demands.” – Private equity
“Lee & Ko has been very helpful to my company over the past couple of months I have worked with them. They have invested significant effort in strengthening their pharmaceutical, medical device team, which has resulted in a loyal following of clientele, including my company and a solid market reputation. In particular, Ms Jihyun Yu, a partner who is a licensed doctor and attorney, is a rare and critical member of Lee & Ko's pharmaceutical, medical device and regulatory team. She provides market insight from the viewpoint of healthcare professionals, which greatly helps in analysing an issue from various angles. Ms Yu is very reliable, and her team is very well staffed with professionals who are in the know of the Korean legal landscape and regulatory issues. I am very happy to have found a team that I can work closely with, and I highly recommend Lee & Ko.” – Regulatory
“The advantage of this law firm is that it provides dedication and prompt feedback to a client regardless of business hours.” – Regulatory
“Lee & Ko provides by far the best value among all the law firms in Korea. Its strengths include expertise and experience, client-friendliness and flexibility.” – Regulatory
“I was highly satisfied with Lee & Ko's work which reflected their expertise and professional knowledge in the relevant field.” – Regulatory
“It is strong in being accurate and credible, and it abides by the appropriate timeline.” – Regulatory
“Lee & Ko provides delicate and excellent legal service with sufficient knowledge.” – Shipping
Jinyoung Jung
“He works very hard and sincerely. He gives excellent legal advice for complex and difficult matters.”
In Sang Kang
“In Sang Kang is one of the leading partners in the firm's litigation group. He has extensive experience and expertise in complex commercial litigation and he has litigated some of the largest and most complex cases that have been brought to the district and appellate courts in South Korea. In addition to active trial and appellate practice, Mr Kang has extensive experience in international and domestic commercial arbitration.”
Dong Eun Kim
“Very professional, clear and speedy. It helped us save our costs.”
Kwang Yul Kim
“He is diligent and professional. I have worked on two projects with him recently and he has provided me with excellent solutions for difficult problems.”
Kyunghoon Lee
“He is a top-notch litigator in Korea. Very knowledgeable, responsive and smart. I would recommend him for any commercial matter.”
Vera Eun Woo Lee
“She gives excellent, especially detailed feedback.”
Hyunjoo Oh
“She has good knowledge about the financial sector and a wonderful relationship with the industry.”
“She always gives us a clear answer. She gave us what was possible or not possible to do.”
Taek Rim Oh
“He is excellent in communication and problem-solving skills, and his legal knowledge and ability are also excellent.”
Kwang Bae Park
“Mr Park is experienced, knowledgeable about the law, the industry and the company, client-friendly and flexible.”
Hyeon Gil Ryoo
“Mr Ryoo is a very diligent and client-friendly lawyer. Furthermore, he is very creative in the lawsuit strategies with rich experience in legal actions.”
Eunyoung Shin
“She is kind and professional, and she provides a quick response.”
Byeong Jun Son
“Throughout the series of work he did for our company, he has proved his expertise in law, thoroughness in reviewing all the relevant facts and documents, and responsiveness to the clients' demands. For such qualities, he is recognised as a leading tax advisor and litigator in the market.”
Gui Hwan (Peter) Yang
“Excellent. His advice is very practical based on his working experience in the capital market industry.”
Yong Joon Yoon
“He has excellent knowledge in both law and the financial industry. He is a nice communicator and always provides us with satisfactory solutions within deadlines.”
