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Lee & Ko received dual honors at The Asia Legal Awards 2026, winning ESG Deal of the Year and Projects Lawyer of the Year.

These recognitions highlight the firm's outstanding legal advisory capabilities in the ESG and projects sectors, as well as the individual achievements of Partner Kwang Yul Kim in the projects practice.

 

ESG Deal of the Year

The firm was honored with the ESG Deal of the Year award for its advisory work on the Taepyeong Salt Farm Solar PV Project, a landmark domestic initiative converting salt-affected agricultural land and disused salt pans into large-scale solar energy infrastructure. The accolade recognizes the collaborative expertise of Lee & Ko’s ESG Group, particularly its Projects & Energy Team and Environment Team.

Lee & Ko maintains a dedicated ESG Group comprising experienced professionals across key practice areas, including environment, industrial safety, renewable energy, compliance, corporate governance, and labor and employment, providing comprehensive legal solutions to navigate today’s increasingly complex ESG landscape.

In addition to the Taepyeong Salt Farm project, the ESG Group advised the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (MCEE) on designing and implementing a pilot initiative for Korea's green chemistry framework, as well as establishing a sustainability assessment system for chemical substances.

The group has also advised on developing carbon reduction methodologies for agricultural greenhouse gas initiatives using methane-reducing microbial technology, assisting clients with regulatory compliance and broader ESG strategy.

 

Projects Lawyer of the Year

Lee & Ko Partner Kwang Yul Kim has been named Projects Lawyer of the Year.

With more than twenty years of legal experience, Mr. Kim is widely recognized for his counsel on major power and energy, project finance, infrastructure, and development matters. He regularly guides domestic and international corporations, funds, and financial institutions through cross-border investments, real asset transactions, development financing and capital markets compliance.

As head of Lee & Ko’s Projects & Energy Team, Mr. Kim continues to lead some of the region's most prominent projects across conventional and renewable energy, construction, and property development.

 

The Asia Legal Awards 2026

Hosted by Law.com International, a legal platform operated by global legal and business information company ALM Media, The Asia Legal Awards is an annual awards program recognizing leading law firms, practitioners, landmark transactions, and in-house legal teams across Asia.

Lee & Ko’s recognition as ESG Deal of the Year and Projects Lawyer of the Year at The Asia Legal Awards 2026 reflects the firm’s notable transaction work and the achievements of its practitioners in the projects sector.

Lee & Ko has been recognized in the “ALB Asia Top Cybersecurity & Data Law Firms 2026” by Asian Legal Business (ALB). Newly introduced this year, the Cybersecurity & Data category recognizes leading law firms in the region for their expertise and capabilities in data privacy and cybersecurity.

Lee & Ko’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) and Data Privacy & Cybersecurity (DPC) Practice Groups provide comprehensive legal services across the broadcasting, telecommunications, IT, data privacy and cybersecurity sectors. Drawing on extensive industry knowledge and regulatory experience, the Groups advise clients on a wide range of transactional and regulatory matters and represent them in regulatory investigations, enforcement proceedings and litigation. Recent notable representations include successfully defending Korea’s three major mobile network operators in a large-scale damages action brought by 5G mobile service subscribers. The Groups also represented SK Telecom (SKT) in Supreme Court litigation brought by subscribers seeking to prevent SKT from pseudonymizing their personal information, securing a favorable ruling for the company. In addition, the Groups advised SKT in connection with the Personal Information Protection Commission’s investigation and administrative disposition concerning the largest personal data breach involving a Korean mobile network operator to date, achieving the maximum reduction in the applicable administrative surcharge permitted under law. Through their extensive experience in handling complex and evolving legal and regulatory issues, Lee & Ko’s TMT and DPC Practice Groups continue to provide sophisticated and practical advice to clients while remaining at the forefront of developments in the cybersecurity and data privacy fields.

Asian Legal Business (ALB) is a leading legal publication in the Asia-Pacific region published by Thomson Reuters. Its rankings and awards recognize leading law firms and lawyers across the region based on factors including professional expertise, track record and client service.

Lee & Ko has once again been recognized as a Band 1 law firm in the Private Wealth Law category of Chambers High Net Worth 2026, published by Chambers and Partners. In the individual rankings, dispute resolution specialist Dong Ha Kim was ranked in Band 1 for the third consecutive year.

Lee & Ko recently secured a successful outcome in a USD 2 billion arbitration on behalf of a major shareholder of a Korean company. The firm also regularly advises on complex regulatory matters and represents chairpersons of leading Korean conglomerates in high-stakes disputes arising from corporate restructurings and reorganizations.

Drawing on its extensive expertise across a broad range of practice areas, Lee & Ko advises the owners and senior executives of major Korean conglomerates, as well as their families, on a wide range of legal and tax matters relating to the accumulation, management, transfer, and protection of personal wealth.

Dong Ha Kim, a leading dispute resolution practitioner at Lee & Ko, has been recognized as a Band 1 lawyer for the third consecutive year. Mr. Kim has extensive experience in both corporate advisory work and litigation. His principal areas of practice include commercial litigation, corporate law, healthcare, construction and real estate, government contracts, and family law.

Chambers High Net Worth is a leading international legal directory focusing on the private wealth sector and covers more than 55 jurisdictions, including Korea.

Su Jin Jung, a leading partner in Lee & Ko’s Litigation Group, has been named to Asian Legal Business (ALB) Asia Top Female Lawyers 2026, in recognition of her standing as a leading female practitioner in Asia and her success in major disputes, including the SK Telecom personal data breach case.

Ms. Jung joined Lee & Ko in 2023 after 20 years on the bench. Drawing on that experience, she has developed exceptional expertise across a broad range of complex disputes, including fair trade litigation, criminal cases arising from serious industrial and occupational accidents, personal data protection litigation, and corporate control disputes. She has secured acquittals in a series of such criminal cases, including the SK Multi Utility and SAMPYO Group cases, two of Korea's most significant serious accident cases, and the industrial accident case involving Samsung Electronics' Giheung facility. The SK Multi Utility case resulted in the first acquittal under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act involving an affiliate of a major Korean conglomerate, while the SAMPYO Group case attracted nationwide attention as one of the first major cases arising from a serious accident occurring after the Act took effect. She also leads a number of fair trade administrative litigation matters concerning abuse of market dominance, unfair trade practices, and violations of the Fair Transactions in Subcontracting Act. Ms. Jung further contributed to achieving a balanced resolution in dispute mediation proceedings before the Consumer Dispute Settlement Commission in connection with the SK Telecom personal data breach and has obtained timely and favorable decisions in several preliminary injunction proceedings arising from corporate control disputes.

Published by Thomson Reuters, a leading global provider of legal news and information, Asian Legal Business (ALB) is a premier legal publication covering the Asia-Pacific region. Each year, ALB selects its Top Female Lawyers from 13 jurisdictions across Asia, including Korea, Japan, India, Singapore, and Hong Kong, recognizing women lawyers who have achieved outstanding results over the course of their careers.

Vera Eun Woo Lee, a partner in Lee & Ko’s IP & Technology Group, has been named to Managing IP’s Top 250 Women in IP 2026. This recognition reflects her outstanding achievements in intellectual property law, including her successful representation of a major distribution company in a trademark infringement action seeking injunctive relief and damages.

Since joining Lee & Ko in 2004, Ms. Lee has advised and represented clients across the full spectrum of intellectual property matters, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, domain names, unfair competition, IP licensing, and employee inventions. She has also played a leading role in precedent-setting disputes involving novel issues arising from technological developments and evolving social trends.

Ms. Lee’s notable track record includes a landmark trademark infringement case on behalf of a major distribution company, as well as a wide range of complex and first-of-their-kind disputes involving copyright and unfair competition issues. These include a Supreme Court case that established important standards for copyright infringement involving game-related works, as well as cases concerning the scope of protection for copyrighted photographs and the unauthorized use of a long-standing mark.

Managing Intellectual Property, also known as Managing IP, is a leading publication in the intellectual property field. Each year, it recognizes senior female IP practitioners with outstanding accomplishments based on research and surveys of IP professionals worldwide.

Lee & Ko received a total of five awards at the Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific Awards 2026, including ‘Labour and Employment Firm of the Year,’ ‘South Korea Lawyer of the Year’ and ‘Client Choice – South Korea Firm of the Year,’ earning the distinction of being the most awarded Korean law firm at this year’s awards.

In the Practice Area Firm Awards category, which recognizes one leading law firm across the Asia-Pacific region in each of 11 practice areas, Lee & Ko was named ‘Labour and Employment Firm of the Year,’ underscoring the firm’s exceptional expertise in labour and employment law. Among its many notable achievements, Lee & Ko’s Labour and Employment Group successfully defended one of the world’s largest tyre manufacturers before the Supreme Court against serious allegations of illegal worker dispatch, thereby protecting the client’s business operations. The group also represented a major global automobile manufacturer in matters concerning an employer’s disciplinary authority and procedures.

In the ‘Lawyer of the Year – South Korea’ category, Lee & Ko’s Taeyop Lee was recognized for his outstanding achievements and contributions. Before joining Lee & Ko, Mr. Lee served as a public prosecutor, gaining extensive investigative experience in special investigations, finance and taxation, customs and foreign exchange, intellectual property—including trade secrets—and the healthcare and food sectors. Drawing on this background, he now leads criminal defense and general litigation matters at the firm involving intellectual property and trade secrets, personal information protection, broadcasting and telecommunications, foreign exchange and customs, and healthcare. In particular, he has built a strong reputation for guiding clients through major corporate criminal matters involving finance, trade secrets and serious accidents, consistently securing favorable outcomes and delivering the highest level of protection for his clients’ interests.

Lee & Ko also received the ‘Impact Case of the Year’ award for its representation of HSBC Bank in a criminal short-selling case. In that case, the firm persuaded the court to adopt a reasonable interpretation of the short-selling provisions under the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act and secured a not-guilty verdict for its client.
In addition, Lee & Ko was named ‘South Korea Firm of the Year’ in the Client Choice Awards, which were announced in conjunction with the Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific Awards, while Foreign Attorney Steve Minhoo Kim was recognized as ‘South Korea Honourable Mention Lawyer of the Year.’ Based on client feedback and evaluations, the Client Choice Awards recognize excellence in client service. These accolades further demonstrate Lee & Ko’s differentiated client service and the high level of trust it has earned from its clients.

Benchmark Litigation is a globally renowned publication focusing on dispute resolution and litigation. Each year, it publishes rankings based on in-depth analysis of law firm submissions, as well as interviews with lawyers, clients and litigation experts.