Recent Developments

Lee & Ko has been ranked as a Tier 1 law firm in Korea in nine practice areas by ‘Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific 2026’, a leading publication focusing on dispute resolution and litigation. 

Notably, Lee & Ko was also recognized as a Recommended Firm in the newly introduced Government and Regulatory category, further demonstrating the firm’s exceptional capabilities and competitiveness across a broad range of dispute resolution and regulatory matters. 


 Commercial and Transactions  
 Competition/Antitrust 
 Construction 
 Insolvency 
 Intellectual Property 
 Labor and Employment 
 Product Liability and Recall 
 Tax 
 White Collar Crime 

In addition, 54 Lee & Ko attorneys were selected as either ‘Litigation Stars’ or ‘Future Stars’ for their outstanding achievements in their respective fields.


- Litigation Stars
 Competition/Antitrust: Jangwoo Park, Jeong-Ho Sun, Pyoung Keun Song, Miji Lee, Hwan Jeong, Suruyn Kim
 Commercial and Transactions: Won Seok Ko, Jae Heon Park, Dajoo Jung, Jin Soo Han, Chang Ho Seong, Kiri Yi
 Construction: Myung Jong Kim, Seon Tae Kim, Chanik Jang, Yang Rak Kim, Jae Sung Yoo
 Government and Regulatory: Taeyop Lee, Kwangbae Park
 Intellectual Property: Un Ho Kim, Keum Nang Park, Hayoun Chun, Heon Lee
 International Arbitration: Sang Hoon Han, Eun Young Park
 Insolvency: Wan Shik Lee, Jung Hyun Lee, Jiwoong Lim
 Labor and Employment: Young Jin Kim, Hyunseok Song, Sang Hoon Lee, Chang Soo Jin
 Tax: Tom Kwon, Sung Hwan Kim, Ok Hyun Ma, Kyung Tae Kim, Steve Minhoo Kim, Jung Ho Ryu
 White Collar Crime: Jae Deog Bae, Jin So, Taeyop Lee, Younsub Jang, Jangwoo Park

- Future Stars
 Competition/Antitrust: Byong Ki Chung
 Construction: Gangcheol Chu, Janghee Yoon, Joo Hye Hong
 Intellectual Property: Jaewoo Kwak, Hyeon Gil Ryoo
 International Arbitration: Grace Yoon
 Labor and Employment: William Kim, Se young Kang, Yong Su Oh
 Product Liability and Recall: Dajoo Jung, Soo Yeon Oh
 White Collar Crime: Ki Jung Sung, Kyeong-seop Yoon

Benchmark Litigation conducts its annual rankings based on in-depth analysis of law firm submissions, as well as interviews with legal practitioners, clients, and litigation experts.
 

Lee & Ko received the honor of “South Korea Firm of the Year” at the Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific Awards 2025.

Presented annually by Benchmark Litigation, a leading global publication dedicated to litigation and dispute resolution, the “South Korea Firm of the Year” is awarded to only one leading firm in each country in the field of dispute resolution. Lee & Ko, recognized consecutively from 2021 to 2023, has received the esteemed accolade once again, reaffirming its continued standing as a top-tier dispute resolution practice in South Korea. This recognition reflects the firm’s competence and excellence in handling complex dispute resolution matters, as notably demonstrated by the IP Practice Group securing a final victory for Coway in a prolonged, nearly 11-year infringement dispute with ChungHo Nais over ice-making water purifier technology.

In addition, two of the firm’s attorneys garnered individual honors: Miji Lee, a partner of the Antitrust & Competition Group was named to the “Top 100 Women in Litigation 2025”; while Joohye Hong, a partner of the Real Estate & Construction Group was selected for the “Top 40 Under 40 2025.”
Asia-Pacific’s “Top 100 Women in Litigation” recognizes 100 distinguished female professionals within the region, selected through months of in-depth research. Ms. Lee is a seasoned antitrust lawyer with extensive experience in advising and representing both domestic and multinational clients across the full spectrum of competition law matters, from initial investigations by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) to successive stages of administrative, criminal, and other antitrust litigation.

On the other hand, Asia-Pacific’s “Top 40 Under 40” recognizes 40 lawyers, the most accomplished litigators under 40, selected through rigorous research and high evaluations. Ms. Hong is a construction and real estate specialist with strong industry experience in construction, real estate, energy, and social overhead capital (SOC) projects. Her practice includes negotiating EPC contracts related to the export of nuclear reactors to the Dukovany plant in the Czech Republic, providing regular legal counsel for overseas nuclear power plant exports for projects in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and representing special purpose companies established for privately financed infrastructure projects such as railways, particularly in cases involving total project cost increases and insurance claims. She also provides guidance and legal representation on a wide range of construction-related matters, including disputes arising from power plant construction projects.

Benchmark Litigation annually hosts the Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific Awards, which recognize the most notable dispute resolution cases and law firms in the Asia-Pacific region each year, based on law firm submissions, interviews with litigation experts, and independent research.