Recent Developments

Partner Da Joo Jung from Lee & Ko’s Litigation Group has been recognized as one of the ‘Top 15 North Asia Litigators 2024’ by Asian Legal Business (ALB). 

With over 16 years of experience across various court levels and agencies from 2005 to 2021, spanning the Seoul Central District Court, the Uijeongbu District Court, and the Planning and Coordination Office of National Court Administration at the Supreme Court, Mr. Jung brings unparalleled expertise in advising and representing clients in complex litigation matters related to corporate crimes, construction, real estate, banking, securities, finance, administrative litigation, and family inheritance disputes.

Notably, Mr. Jung’s recent accomplishments include securing the acquittal of all defendants in the embezzlement case concerning Mildawon shares within the SPC Group and delivering favorable outcomes in criminal litigation, such as Kakao’s market price manipulation and the virtual asset (coin) market price manipulation cases. In addition, he has successfully handled a number of high-stakes civil litigation against major companies such as management disputes, including a preliminary injunction case prohibiting the issuance of new shares in SM Entertainment, etc., a shareholder class action involving the embezzlement of Osstem Implant, and a 5G service consumer class action against a mobile communications company.

ALB Magazine, a leading legal publication in the Asia-Pacific region under Thomson Reuters, announced 15 exceptional litigators in North Asia in its October issue to highlight their exceptional performance in high-profile cases that have shaped the region’s legal landscape.

Lee & Ko has been recognized as a top-tier firm in Managing IP's “2024 IP Stars” rankings in the categories of Trademark Disputes, Patent Disputes, Copyright & Related Rights, and IP Transactions. Particularly impressive is the firm’s performance in IP Transactions, where it has maintained the highest ranking for four consecutive years since the category was first introduced, further cementing its unparalleled expertise in this specialized field.

In the individual rankings, 12 attorneys and patent attorneys from the firm have been listed as "IP Stars," "Rising Stars," and "Notable Practitioners," showcasing their distinguished achievements in the patent field:


 Patent Star: Un Ho Kim, Jae Hoon Kim, Keum Nang Park, Hwan Sung Park
 Trademark Star: Jae Hoon Kim, Vera Eun Woo Lee, Sun Chang
 Rising star: Min Soo Kim, Min Wook Kim, Sung Hoon Kim
 Notable Practitioner: Seong Tahk Ahn, Kyung Jin Kim, Yikang Kang

Leveraging its extensive network with leading international law firms, Lee & Ko’s IP Group delivers superior legal services tailored to meet the specific needs of clients in patent disputes across the United States, Europe, Japan, and other countries, and helps clients navigate the complex legal landscape by offering practical and effective solutions drawn from its deep technical and scientific expertise, along with its comprehensive knowledge of the laws and rules governing patent litigation. The Group’s practice encompasses all aspects of intellectual property, consistently achieving optimal outcomes in patent disputes and consultations across various industries, including pharmaceuticals, electrical and electronics, and secondary batteries. Some notable successes include its representation of OCI Holdings in a patent invalidation action, which led to a significant Supreme Court ruling on parameter inventions, successfully concluding a 7-year patent battle with a victory. It also provides robust support to Korean companies in U.S. patent infringement lawsuits, assisting clients at every stage of transactions and legal proceedings.

Managing Intellectual Property (Managing IP) is a leading publication in the field of intellectual property. It annually ranks leading IP law firms by country and practice area based on surveys and interviews with IP professionals worldwide.

Lee & Ko was honoured with the most awards among South Korean law firms by winning awards in 9 areas including ‘Asia Firm of the Year’ and ‘South Korea Firm of the Year’ in the 'Asialaw Awards 2024'. In particular, Lee & Ko has won both the ‘Asia Firm of the Year’ and ‘South Korea Firm of the Year’ Awards for the second consecutive years, and has demonstrated a clear difference from the second-ranked law firm, which has won 3 awards, by winning 10 awards in 9 areas.

Regional Awards
   Capital Markets Lawyer of the Year - Hyunjoo Oh
   Competition/Antitrust Firm of the Year
   Regulatory Firm of the Year

Jurisdictional Awards
   South Korea Firm of the Year
   South Korea Female Lawyer of the Year - Suruyn Kim

Editor’s Choice Awards
   Asia Firm of the Year
   Impact Deals and Cases
    - LG Chem $2 Billion Exchangeable Bonds: Largest Equity-Linked Issuance Since 2021
    - Google v. KFTC

Client Choice Awards
   South Korea Lawyer of the Year - Jeong Yoon Choi
   South Korea Honourable Mention Lawyer - Minhoo (Steve) Kim

In addition to winning the ‘Competition/Antitrust Firm of the Year’ and the ‘Regulatory Firm of the Year’ awards, Lee & Ko was selected as one of the ‘Impact Deals and Cases’ for LG Chem’s issuance of $2 Billion Exchangeable Bonds (Capital Market) and claims for damages due to Google’s violation of the Fair Trade Act (Google v. KFTC) (Litigation).

Furthermore, in the individual sector, Lee & Ko was recognised for its outstanding competence in various practice areas, as Lee & Ko attorney Hyunjoo Oh was selected as ‘Capital Markets Lawyer of the Year’ for lawyers in Asian region, attorney Suruyn Kim as ‘South Korea Female Lawyer of the Year’, attorney Jeong Yoon Choi as ‘Client Choice Awards-South Korea Lawyer of the Year’ and attorney Minhoo (Steve) Kim as ‘Client Choice Awards-South Korea Honourable Mention Lawyer’.

Recently selected as the best law firm in all 24 areas in the Asialaw’s annual assessment, Lee & Ko has further solidified its status as the best law firm in the Asia-Pacific region and South Korea.

Asialaw Award is given by Asialaw, which is an affiliate of the global financial journal Euromoney. Each year, the awards celebrate leading law firms across 11 practice areas, 7 industries and 23 jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific region.

Lee & Ko has once again been recognized as a Tier 1 law firm in the M&A Rankings 2024 by Asian Legal Business(ALB).

In the run-up to the ALB rankings, Lee & Ko’s M&A Team has been honored with the ‘Best House Award’ at the 2nd DealSite IB Awards in recognition of its outstanding performance as a lead advisor on numerous M&A transactions, amid a weakened M&A market this year. The Team has also garnered the ‘Best Deal Award’ at the 15th Korea IB Awards, hosted by The Korea Economic Daily, for its pivotal role as a lead advisor in the acquisition of Osstem Implant by MBK Partners and UCK Consortium. These accolades complement Lee & Ko’s consistent top-tier rankings for its exceptional capabilities in handling M&A transactions, as recognized by leading domestic and international rating directories, including prestigious global publications such as the Chambers Asia-Pacific Guide, Legal 500, Asialaw Profiles, and IFLR1000.

ALB, a legal magazine in the Asia-Pacific region under the global news services provider Thomson Reuters, annually evaluates and ranks law firms based on surveys and interviews with M&A professionals across 12 Asian countries.

Lee & Ko has been selected as a Tier 1 firm in all 8 categories under the IFLR(International Financial Law Review) 1000 2024 edition and solidified its position once again for its high level of competence as a leading law firm in Korea. Lee & Ko has secured the highest ranking, a Tier1, in all practice areas for more than 13 consecutive years and 55 Lee & Ko professionals were recognized as ‘Leading Lawyers’ throughout all practice areas. Also, Hyunjoo Oh in the Banking & Finance Group for Lee & Ko has been honored to be selected as one of the “Women Leaders” for five consecutive years. Ms. Oh specializes in finance, with over 20 years of experience in the field of capital markets. In particular, she is an expert in all capital market transactions, including securities and derivatives transactions, as well as other finance-related areas such as capital market regulations, capital market disputes, and foreign exchange regulations.



Banking and Finance
Capital Markets: Debt
Capital Markets: Equity
Capital Markets: Structured Finance and Securitisation
M&A
Private Equity
Project Development
Restructuring and Insolvency


Banking and Finance: Sangwoo Ahn, Lachlan Barth, Yong-Jae Chang, Young Je Cho, Eun Sam Choi, Woo Young Jung, Kwang Yul Kim, Dong Eun Kim, Insoo Kim, Hyunsu Kim, Hun Ko, Myoung Chul Kwak, Myung Hyun Ryu, Yunjeong Seo, Tom Shin, Dong Seok Woo, Yeo Kyoon Yoon, Paul Hyun Joon Yoon
Capital Markets: Sae Ho Ahn, Hyunji Bae, Jun Woo Cho, Kyoung Jun Cho, Seung Hoon Choi, Wonkyu Han, Seunga Hyun, Donga Jung, Dongyon Kim, Jiseon Kim, Munsik Kim, Jin Hong Kwon, Hankyung Lee, Hyunjoo Oh
Corporate and M&A: Yong Seok Ahn, Da Hye Cho, Seok Pyo Hong, Sung Mee Hong, Hwan Jeong, Ki Wook Kang, Sanggon Kim, Sung Min Kim, Daehoon Koo, Gu Beom Kwon, Eunjai Lee, Je Won Lee, Hyeong Gun Lee, Kyu Wha Lee, Seung Hwan Lee, Ho Joon Moon, Kyu Seok Park, Kyung Gyoon Park
Investment Funds: Je Won Lee, Seung Hwan Lee
Project Development: Sangwoo Ahn, Lachlan Barth, Eun Sam Choi, Jinyoung Jung, Kwang Yul Kim, Insoo Kim, Hyunsu Kim, Jungmin Pak
Restructuring and Insolvency: Seok Pyo Hong, Sung Mee Hong, Eunjai Lee, Jung Hyun Lee, Wanshik Lee, Seung Hwan Lee, Jiwoong Lim

IFLR1000 is the only financial legal directory that evaluates the law firms and their attorneys worldwide based on their achievements in finance and corporate transactions.

Lee & Ko was selected as an outstanding law firm in all 24 sectors (below) of ‘Asialaw Profiles’ for four consecutive years. Lee & Ko was recognized once again for its high level of competence as a leading law firm in Korea as it set apart from other domestic law firms that have only received outstanding rankings in certain fields.

Additionally, 44 Lee & Ko professionals were named Senior Statesman/ Elite Practitioner/ Distinguished Practitioner/ Notable Practitioner/ Rising Star and these individuals were provided special recognition for their expertise in the field.


   Industry Sectors
Aviation and Shipping
Consumer goods and Services
Industrials and Manufacturing
Insurance
Pharmaceuticals and Life sciences
Technology and Telecommunications
Banking and Financial services
Energy
Infrastructure
Media and Entertainment
Real estate

   Practice Areas
Banking and Finance
Competition/Antitrust
Corporate and M&A
Intellectual Property
Labour and Employment
Regulatory
Tax
Capital Markets
Construction
Dispute Resolution
Investment Funds
Private Equity
Restructuring and Insolvency


Banking and Financial services: Woo Young Jung, Yeo Kyoon Yoon, Yong-Jae Chang, Hyunjoo Oh, Seunga Hyun, Myoung Chul Kwak
Banking and Finance: Woo Young Jung, Yeo Kyoon Yoon, Yong-Jae Chang, Myoung Chul Kwak, Samsung Kim, Min Ha Song
Capital Markets: Hyunjoo Oh, Seunga Hyun
Competition/Antitrust: Yong Seok Ahn, Hwan Jeong, Hyun Chul Kim, Jeong-Ho Sun, Jeong Yoon Choi, Suruyn Kim
Corporate and M&A: Kyu Wha Lee, Sanggon Kim, Ho Joon Moon, Hyeong Gun Lee
Dispute Resolution: Won Seok Ko, Saemee Kim
Energy: Dong Eun Kim, Hun Ko, Tom Shin
Infrastructure: Dong Eun Kim, Hun Ko, Tom Shin, Samsung Kim, Min Ha Song
Insurance: Gidon Nam, Jinyoung Jung, Jin Hong Kwon
Intellectual Property: Jae Hoon Kim, Un Ho Kim, Keum Nang Park, Jaewoo Kwak
Labour and Employment: Sang Hoon Lee, Chang Soo Jin, Hyunseok Song , William Kim
Media and Entertainment: Kwang Bae Park
Real estate: Jung Hwan Lee
Restructuring and Insolvency: Wan Shik Lee, Eunjai Lee, Jung Hyun Lee
Shipping: Jinyoung Jung , Gidon Nam
Tax: Jay Shim, Ok Hyun Ma, Sung Hwan Kim
Technology and Telecommunications: Kwang Bae Park, Hwan Kyoung Ko, Samuel (Soon-Yub) Kwon, Yong Seok Ahn

Asialaw Profiles is published by Asialaw, which is an affiliate of the global financial journal Euromoney, and each year Asialaw Profiles ranks law firms and professionals in the Asia-Pacific region based on law firm submissions, interviews with lawyers and clients, and independent research and announces the results.