Lee & Ko

Lee & Ko has one of Korea’s largest construction and real estate teams. “Their highly experienced professionals deliver the desired results while exceeding expectations,” says a client. Dong Eun Kim represented Meritz Securities in the W390 billion refinancing for the East South Logistics Complex project.

Lee & Ko has one of the strongest M&A teams in Korea and has a well-established reputation in the market. “It gives timely and diligent responses, thorough analysis, creative solutions, practical advice, strong team in all areas we needed advice from. Invoicing has reflected the expectations they set for the various projects,” says a client. Hyeong Gun Lee represented Cheil Industries in its multibillion-dollar merger with Samsung C&T.

Lee & Ko is a dominant actor in the dispute resolution practice area and is involved in many highly controversial cases in Korea. Practice heads Sean Sungwoo Lim and Won Seok Ko represented a German car manufacturer in a product liability class action lawsuit. The dispute resolution team also successfully represented Samsung Electronics in a tax dispute.

Led by Hun Ko and Tom Shin, the energy and natural resources team at Lee & Ko maintains its strong standing. The practice represented Shinhan Bank and Shinhan BNP Paribas Asset Management in a ¥16.8 billion ($166 million) 54-megawatt solar power plant project. The firm also represented Kookmin Bank and Samsung Life Insurance in the $1 billion Dongducheon LNG combined cycle power plant project. The firm is involved in one of the first independent island energy projects in Ulleungdo where the island is powered only by renewable energy.

The financial regulations team at Lee & Ko consists of former senior officials at financial regulatory authorities and former members of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), as well as experienced lawyers. Hyung Koo Kang and Seung Soo Han advised Samsung Electronics on its launch of Samsung Pay under the Electronic Financial Transactions Act, Specialized Credit Finance Business Act and other laws in September 2015.

Lee & Ko has a prominent practice in insurance, advising domestic and international insurance and reinsurance companies, as well as protection and indemnity clubs. Jin Hong Kwon advised MetLife on eight variable insurance products. Jeong Kyoo Han and Jin Young Jung are representing Korea Trade Insurance in a $30 million lawsuit about whether a client is obligated to pay the insurance proceeds under the short-term export credit insurance.

Lee & Ko covers a broad spectrum of technical fields and houses a team of former judges of the IP division of the Korean Supreme Court, the Korean Patent Court and the Seoul High Court and Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) examiners. Led by Young Mo Kwon, the IP team excels in the market. Instructed by Posco in a cross-jurisdictional dispute, the practice analysed the trade secrets and patent infringement claims and litigated the matter.

Lee & Ko is a consistent performer in the market and regularly advises the nation’s largest fund managers in real estate, shipping and aviation, with a particular focus on Korean and offshore funds. Geen Kim advised a leading global investor on its acquisition of a US logistics portfolio for $4.55 billion. Dong Seok Woo and Jun Woo Cho advised Capstone Asset Management on its $366 million purchase of AK Plaza in Bundang.

Lee & Ko represents players in the IT industry, telecommunications market and broadcasting sector. Samuel Kwon, Kwang Bae Park and Sang Gon Kim advised Korea’s largest mobile network operator on its $455 million acquisition of CJ Hellovision. This is the first M&A deal in Korea between an internet protocol television company and a multiple-system operator. Park also advised Samsung Electronics on its launch of Samsung Pay and the start of other pay services in the fintech market. Park and Heon Myung Jung are representing the Korea Credit Bureau in a data breach case against three Korean credit card companies.

“Lee & Ko gives timely and diligent responses, thorough analysis, creative solutions, practical advice, a strong team in all areas we needed advice from,” says a client. Sang Hoon Lee, Chang Soo Jin, Ji Young Tae and Seung Wan Hahm are advising Barclays Bank and Securities on an employee winding-down process via voluntary retirement packages. In Hyung Lee, Tong Keun Seol and Hyun Seok Song are representing Korea Expressway in a labour dispatch involving 1,000 employees.

Lee & Ko is highly regarded for its role in important transactions and its impressive client list, including Macquarie, Affinity Equity, H&Q Korea, Korea Development Bank and KB Investment. Je Won Lee represented IMM Private Equity in its establishment of the $906 million IMM Rosegold III fund.

Lee & Ko houses a dedicated team to advise on large projects. Hun Ko and In Soo Kim advised Kookmin Bank, Industrial Bank of Korea and KB Asset Management on a $3.1 billion public-private partnership infrastructure project, which involved the construction of a 61 km railroad connecting Incheon International Airport and Seoul station. This case was one of the first restructuring projects carried out by the Korean government. Kwang Yul Kim, Hyun Su Kim and Samsung Kim advised Hyundai Rotem on its $1.4 billion Abidjan urban railroad project in Ivory Coast. The case was the first equity investment by a Korean company in a rail infrastructure project overseas.

Led by Wanshik Lee, the restructuring and insolvency team at Lee & Ko is highly regarded for its ability to understand the fast-evolving demands of the practice area. Lee, Jung Hyun Lee and Ji Hoon Kim are advising Hyundai Elevator on the W172 billion loan to  Hyundai Merchant Marine for corporate restructuring.

Lee & Ko is a leading player in the shipping and aviation practice area. It is experienced in handling every type of dispute in the industry including bill-of-lading claims, charter-party disputes, oil pollution, marine insurance and aircraft crashes. Jin Young Jung is representing the Association of Foreign Shipowners’ representatives in Korea and Pantos Logistics in an action against the enactment and enforcement of the Publication Regulations.

Lee & Ko is widely recognised for its abilities in tax consulting, litigation, cross-border matters and audit defence. Jay Shim heads the international tax planning and transactions team. The firm represented Intellectual Ventures on the cancellation of $80 million in corporate income taxes related to royalty payments to an Irish entity.