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Lee & Ko has been named “Best Overall Law Firm” at the Korea Law Awards 2025, hosted by Asia Business Law Journal (ABLJ). The “Best Overall Law Firm” distinction is awarded to the firm that has earned outstanding evaluations across all practice areas. In addition, Lee & Ko was recognized in a total of 23 categories, including AI, Aviation, Competition & antitrust, Mergers & acquisitions, Private equity & venture capital. This achievement further reinforces Lee & Ko’s position as Korea’s leading full-service law firm, providing seamless one-stop legal services across a broad range of industries. 

ABLJ specifically highlighted Lee & Ko’s advisory role in the acquisition of DIG Airgas by Air Liquide, one of the world’s largest industrial gas suppliers, a transaction valued at approximately KRW 4.6 trillion. The deal raised a number of complex issues, including refinancing of existing shareholder loans and acquisition financing, post-merger integration (PMI) considerations, and withholding tax obligations on capital gains realized by foreign sellers. The transaction is regarded as the largest deal announced in Korea in 2025, underscoring Lee & Ko’s capability to handle large-scale, high-stakes cross-border matters. International clients have also praised Lee & Ko’s global competitiveness, noting that the firm “maintains exceptional specialist teams across every practice area and explains Korean legal issues in a manner that incorporates cultural context, enabling foreign clients to pursue their business activities in Korea with confidence.” 

ABLJ, a leading legal publication in the Asia-Pacific region, has evaluated Korean law firms since 2021 based on surveys of lawyers at domestic and international law firms and corporations, as well as practice-area performance data submitted by Korean law firms.

[Categories]
 Best Overall Law Firms
 AI
 Anti-corruption & anti-bribery
 Aviation
 Banking & finance
 Blockchain & Digital Assets
 Capital markets
 Competition & antitrust
 Corporate & commercial
 Data compliance & cybersecurity
 Defense
 Energy & natural resources
 Entertainment & sports
 ESG
 Healthcare & life sciences
 Inbound investment
 Infrastructure & project finance
 Insolvency & restructuring
 Insurance & reinsurance
 Mergers & acquisitions
 Outbound investment
 Private equity & venture capital
 Structured finance & Securitisation

Lee & Ko was selected as Tier 1 law firm in Korea across 16 fields according to ‘The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2026’. Furthermore, 44 Lee & Ko attorneys were selected as ‘Hall of Fame’, ‘Leading Partners’, ‘Next Generation Partners’, and ‘Leading Associates’ in their respective fields.


Antitrust and Competition
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets 
Corporate and M&A  
Dispute Resolution  
Fintech and financial services regulatory  
Insurance 
Intellectual Property
International Arbitration
Labour and Employment
Projects and Energy  
Real Estate  
Regulatory: white-collar, compliance and investigations
Shipping
Tax
TMT


Antitrust and Competition: Hwan Jeong, Suruyn Kim, Jung Won Kwon, Jeong Yoon Choi
Banking & Finance: Yeo Kyoon Yoon, Myoung Chul Kwak
Capital Markets: Hyunjoo Oh
Corporate and M&A: Hyeong Gun Lee, Sang Gon Kim, Ho Joon Moon, Kyungchun Kim, Sung Min Kim, Daehoon Koo
Dispute Resolution: Pyoung Keun Song, Seong Won Chang, Jae Heon Park, Yeon Woo Lee
Fintech and financial services regulatory: Seong Hwan Ju
Insurance: Jin-Young Jung, Jin Hong Kwon, Sae Um Kim
Intellectual Property: Un Ho Kim, Keum Nang Park
Intellectual Property: PATMA: Kyungjin Kim, Soo Yeon Park
International Arbitration: Sanghoon Han, Saemee Kim, Han-Earl Woo
Labour and Employment: Chang-Soo Jin, Sang-Hoon Lee, Jae Hoon-Choi, William Kim, Shawn (Seong Ho) Han
Projects and Energy: Hun Ko
Real Estate: Jin Wook Yang, Jee In Kim
Regulatory: white-collar, compliance and investigations:: Tae Yop Lee
Shipping: Jin-Young Jung, Yun Jeong Seo, Yang Ho Yoon, Young Jae Park
TMT: Hwan Kyoung Ko, Kwang Bae Park, Il Shin Lee

The Legal 500 Asia Pacific is annually published by Legalease, a global agency that evaluates the capacity of law firms all over the world based on various standards through a comprehensive review of submitted documents by law firms, interviews with lawyers specialized in each field, and feedback from over 300,000 clients.
 

To strengthen its investigation and trial defense capabilities, Lee & Ko has recruited Ho-dong Cha, former Senior Prosecutor of the Seosan Branch of the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office (Judicial Research and Training Institute, Class 38), as a member of its Criminal Practice Group.

Mr. Cha has served in key positions across major prosecution bodies, including the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, and the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, earning deep trust and respect from his colleagues and peers. During his 14-year tenure as a prosecutor, he was recognized for his outstanding expertise in anti-corruption and state-of-the-art investigations, as well as in legal analysis and interpretation within the field of criminal legislation.

In particular, Mr. Cha founded the prosecution’s first AI Blockchain Community and AI Criminal Law Research Society, and published investigation and enforcement manuals on virtual assets, thereby building exceptional expertise in the fields of artificial intelligence and digital assets. More recently, he also led the drafting of the Prosecution’s Serious Industrial Accident Investigation Manual.

Mr. Cha earned his LL.B. and master’s degree in law from Korea University, followed by an LL.M. from Duke University School of Law in the United States, and is also admitted to the New York State Bar. Since his appointment as a prosecutor in 2012, he has served at various key posts, including the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors’ Office, the Special Investigation Division 3 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, the Criminal Litigation Department of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, the Constitutional Issue Research Task Force at the Ministry of Justice’s Prosecution Bureau, the Criminal Division 7 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, the Planning and Coordination Department of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, and as Senior Prosecutor at the Seosan Branch of the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office.

Building on his extensive experience, Mr. Cha will handle a wide range of matters within Lee & Ko’s Criminal Practice Group, focusing on sophisticated white collar crimes, including virtual assets, as well as serious industrial accident cases.

Sang Gon Kim, Managing Partner of Lee & Ko, stated, “With the addition of Mr. Cha, we have further strengthened our Criminal Practice Group. We will continue our efforts to maintain Lee & Ko’s position as the leading firm in this practice area.” He added, “Lee & Ko will continue to boldly invest in recruiting and developing top legal talent to ensure that we provide industry-leading legal services across all practice areas, including criminal law.”

Lee & Ko expanded its Criminal Practice Group last September by recruiting Hoo Gon Kim, former Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office, known as one of the top prosecutors in special investigations. The firm has also recently brought on Hun Heo, former Head of the Public Investigation Division at the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, and Yeong Cheol Kim, former Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors’ Office, further strengthening its competitiveness in criminal practice.

On January 7, Lee & Ko hosted a client-facing webinar titled “Analysis and Outlook on the Amended Trade Union Act’s Enforcement Decree and Official Interpretation Guidelines”. The webinar opened with welcoming remarks by Kyung Duk An (Senior Advisor at Lee & Ko), followed by three (3) in-depth sessions and a live Q&A.

In the first session, Young Jin Kim (Senior Partner at Lee & Ko) presented an analysis on the “employer status” issue under the interpretation guidelines. This presentation addressed one of the most closely monitored aspects of the amended Trade Union Act—namely, the expanded scope of “employer” – with particular focus on the criteria for determining whether an entity may be deemed a “non-contractual employer”, offering both forecast and insight into how these standards will be applied in practice.

The second session, led by Chang Soo Jin (Head of Employment & Labor Practice Group at Lee & Ko), focused on the scope of “labor disputes” and the concept of “consolidated bargaining channel” under the Interpretation Guidelines. Through case studies and practical examples, this session covered the expanded scope of labor disputes under the amended Trade Union Act as well as the procedural framework for consolidation of bargaining channel, providing practical insights into how the Ministry’s guidance and the amended enforcement decree may operate in real-world scenarios.

In the third session, Min Seok Si (Co-Head of Lee & Ko’s ESG Center) delivered a presentation on “Outlook of the Enforcement Decree and Interpretive Guidelines.” This session explored the current state of preparedness and overall climate amongst various stakeholders – for instance, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, employers, and labor unions – while offering insight into potential developments and challenges that may arise as the amended Trade Union Act is implemented.

Following the presentations, the webinar ended with a live Q&A session to address questions submitted during the session. All presenters together with William Kim (Senior Foreign Counsel at Lee & Ko) responded to a wide range of highly fact-specific inquiries, offering practical guidance and perspectives on the interpretation of the law that could readily apply in day-to-day operations.

The New Year 2026, the Year of the Fire Horse, has arrived. I wish all of you good health, happiness, and prosperity in the year ahead.

The year ahead is likely to present considerable challenges and uncertainties, as the political, economic, and social repercussions that began in 2025 continue to unfold. Yet our strength as a society has always been demonstrated by our ability to overcome recurring hardships, move forward, and rise to new heights, and there is no reason to believe that this year will be any different. Lee & Ko will likewise do its utmost to faithfully fulfill its role as a trusted law firm and, in doing so, provide meaningful support to your efforts in these trying times, however modest that contribution may be.

The Year of the Fire Horse is said to be marked by powerful fiery energy. Drawing on the vitality and dynamism symbolized by the Fire Horse, may we all find the strength to break through the obstacles ahead and achieve meaningful progress and accomplishments in the year to come.
Thank you and best wishes.

Sang Gon Kim
Managing Partner, Lee & Ko

Lee & Ko is pleased to announce that Yeong Cheol Kim (JRTI 33rd), former Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors’ Office, has joined the firm. Mr. Kim’s appointment reflects the firm’s continued efforts to strengthen its Criminal Practice Group by recruiting a seasoned professional with extensive expertise in anti-corruption matters, in line with recent government policy initiatives aimed at enhancing fairness and transparency in the market.   

Mr. Kim served as a prosecutor for 21 years. As a founding member of the Joint Securities Crimes Investigation Team, he spent three years handling numerous financial and securities-related cases involving violations of the Capital Markets Act, including stock price manipulation, fraudulent unfair trading, and the use of material non-public information. He further built his career in departments with direct investigative authority, including the Anti-Corruption Division, where he led investigations into major corporate cases and large-scale financial scandals involving savings banks, as well as tax and customs evasion cases, thereby establishing a strong foundation in corporate and financial crime matters.

Mr. Kim received his LL.B. from Seoul National University and was appointed as a prosecutor in 2004. During his prosecutorial career, he served in a number of key divisions, including the Special Investigation Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, the Central Investigation Department of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, and the Joint Securities Crimes Investigation Team at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office. He also served on the Special Prosecutor’s Office investigating the Park Geun-hye–Choi Soon-sil scandal, and later served in the Anti-Corruption Division of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. He subsequently held senior prosecutorial positions, including Deputy Senior Prosecutor of the Special Investigation Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, Head of the Anti-Corruption Division 2 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, Director of the Anti-Corruption Division 1 at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, and Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors’ Office. 

Drawing on this extensive experience, Mr. Kim will focus his practice in Lee & Ko’s Criminal Practice Group on criminal matters involving corporate, financial and securities issues, as well as tax, customs and virtual asset matters.

Managing Partner Sang Gon Kim commented, “With the addition of Mr. Kim, we have further strengthened the capabilities of our Criminal Practice Group,” and added, “We will continue our efforts to ensure that Lee & Ko’s Criminal Practice Group maintains its position among the leading practices in Korea.” He also noted, “Lee & Ko will continue to make bold investments in recruiting and developing outstanding talent across all practice areas, including criminal matters, in order to remain at the forefront of the legal industry and to provide the highest level of legal services to our clients.”