Partner
Sun Young YANG
Energy · Natural Resources
Expertise
Recently reviewed Professionals
As a partner in the Capital Markets Group, Sun Young Yang has advised domestic and international clients (including numerous high-profile financial institutions) on large-scale financial transactions as well as finance-related litigations. In particular, his expertise lies in advising clients on sophisticated compliance and regulation-related issues, with a particular emphasis on capital markets and foreign exchange-related laws and regulations. In recent years, he has been also active in providing legal guidance and valuable insights to clients (consisting of numerous well-established developers and lenders) in energy/resources deals and projects (including those involving LNG and wood pellet). He passed AICPA examination and is knowledgeable in accounting principles and general accounting-related issues.
Representative Cases
- Led finance project teams on all major transactions. Negotiated contract terms, set up project schedules, analyzed legal issues and supervised associates
- Advised clients on large-scale energy projects, including Boryeong LNG terminal project (acting as outside legal counsel to the developer on project financing and other general corporate matters since 2012), midstream investments into offshore LNG development projects in countries including U.S. and Canada and other facilities-related investments (including those involving pipelines), and project financing deals in Korea involving large-scale wood pallet factories.
- Currently advising multiple LNG regasification terminal & storage tank projects (in Ulsan and Tongyong), the first liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) power plant in Ulsan region in Korea, LNG Terminal Use Agreements (with KOGAS, Gwangyang LNG Terminal and Boryeong LNG Terminal) and multiple LNG bunkering business projects.
- Advised on-shore and off-shore financial institutions including banks, securities companies, asset management companies, private equity funds (PEFs) and hedge funds in relation to sophisticated compliance and regulation issues arising in the context of Korean law with a particular emphasis on capital markets and foreign exchange-related laws and regulations. Handled registration of off-shore investment funds with the Financial Supervisory Service of Korea
- Advised Alibaba Group on their first investment in a Korean listed company and managed all stages of the investment including documentation and advising on various aspects of Korean law issues
- Managed all stages of acquisition of GS Power Co., Ltd. from GS Caltex by an investment trust formed by seven financial institutions (with the acquisition costs amounting to USD 120 million) and played a leading role in negotiating a shareholders agreement between the investment trust and GS Group.
- Represented a Korean consortium in relation to their equity investment in, and the restructuring of, a copper mine in Mexico; set up a restructuring plan for the mining project (with the investment amount of USD 1.8 billion), negotiated with the project finance lenders and documented related project finance agreements while cooperating with lawyers in five jurisdictions including the US and Mexico.
- Advised KOTRA on government-to-government (G2G) contracts including Chinchero New Airport PMO project in Peru.
- Advised and represented domestic and international clients on financial/corporate litigations while handling numerous finance-related litigations involving funds, financial mis-selling, project financing and other types of finance-related litigations and successfully defended a large number of listed and non-listed companies against hostile takeovers.
- Advised two Korean insurance companies in a ten-year long U.S. settlement procedure involving recoupment (valued at a total of USD 30 million) of funds invested in the collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) sold by Lehman Brothers Group.
- Represented numerous reputable financial institutions in court (in particular, successfully represented four banks in court in relation to KIKO contracts (i.e. F/X currency derivative transactions) with claimed amount of damages exceeding USD 30 million)
- Advised fourteen financial institutions including the Bank of Korea (i.e., the central bank in Korea) on their positions as creditors of Lehman Brothers Group after Lehman's bankruptcy filing
Education
| 2011 | London Business School - Master in Finance |
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| 2003 | Judicial Research and Training Institute, Supreme Court of Korea |
| 2001 | Seoul National University - LL.B |
Work Experience
| 2007-Present | Lee & Ko |
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| 2021-Present | Committee of Foreign Affairs, Seoul Bar Association (Japan Committee) |
| 2018-Present | Alternative Investment Evaluation Committee, National Pension Fund (committee member) |
| 2015-2017 | Hanyang University, Seoul(Adjunct Professor) |
| 2012.8-2012.12 | Citibank Korea Inc., Seoul(Seconded lawyer) |
| 2011.8-2012.2 | Simpson,Thacher&Bartlett, HongKong (Seconded lawyer) |
| 2006-2007 | Kim, Chang &Lee |
| 2003-2006 | Korean Legal Aid Corporation |
Admissions
| 2005 | American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (State of Hawaii) |
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| 2003 | Admitted to bar, Korea |
Languages
| Native Korean & Fluent English, Japanese |
Publications / Presentations / ETC
- 「South Korea: Energy Oil & Gas」, The Legal 500 Country Comparative Guides (2021)
