Recent Developments

19 lawyers from Lee & Ko have been selected in the '2025 Korea’s Top 100 Lawyers' researched by Asia Business Law Journal. Yong Seok Ahn and Kyu Wha Lee have also been recognized as one of the most influential lawyers in Korea, being named an “ICON” for their ability to provide valuable insights to the legal community based on their extensive experience.
 
The lists of Korea’s Top Lawyers selected from Lee & Ko are as follows:

 Banking & Finance: Woo Young Jung, Yeo Kyoon Yoon
 Capital Markets: Jin Hong Kwon, Hyunjoo Oh
 Competition/Antitrust: Yong Seok Ahn, Hwan Jeong
 Corporate/M&A: Sanggon Kim, Ho Joon Moon, Kyu Wha Lee, Hyeong Gun Lee
 Dispute Resolution: Arbitration: Jinyoung Jung
 Dispute Resolution: Litigation: Won Seok Ko
 Employment: Sang Hoon Lee 
 Insurance: Jin Hong Kwon, Jinyoung Jung
 IP: Jae Hoon Kim, Un Ho Kim
 Projects & Energy: Hun Ko, Dong Eun Kim
 Shipping: Jinyoung Jung, Woo Young Jung
 TMT: Hwan Kyoung Ko, Kwang Bae Park

Asia Business Law Journal (ABLJ), an Asian regional law magazine, conducts research on thousands of domestic and foreign in-house counsel as well as lawyers at international law firms to select the Top 100 lawyers in Korea every year.
 

Lee & Ko has once again reaffirmed its position as Korea’s leading law firm, being recognized as a top-tier firm across all 24 industry sectors and practice areas in Asialaw Profiles 2025. This marks the fifth consecutive year that Lee & Ko has achieved this distinction, an accomplishment unmatched by any other domestic law firm, many of which received top rankings only in select areas.

This recognition reflects Lee & Ko’s breadth of expertise, market-leading capabilities, and client trust across all key areas of legal practice in Korea and the Asia-Pacific region.

In addition, 44 Lee & Ko professionals were honored as Senior Statesman, Elite Practitioner, Distinguished Practitioner, Notable Practitioner, or Rising Star, highlighting the firm’s depth of individual talent and professional excellence.


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, Insoo Kim
 Infrastructure: Dong Eun Kim, Hun Ko, Insoo Kim, 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, Heon Lee
 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: 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 annually by Asialaw, an affiliate of the global financial journal Euromoney. Asialaw Profiles ranks law firms and individual practitioners across the Asia-Pacific region based on law firm submissions, client and peer interviews, and independent market research.

 

Lee & Ko has been recognized as a top-tier law firm in Managing IP’s 2025 IP Stars rankings in the categories of Trademark Disputes, Patent Disputes, Copyright & Related Rights, and IP Transactions. Particularly impressive is the firm’s continued success in IP Transactions, where it has maintained the highest ranking for five consecutive years since the category was first introduced, further underscoring its unrivaled expertise in this specialized practice area.

In the individual rankings, 11 Lee & Ko attorneys and patent attorneys have been recognized as IP Stars, Rising Stars, and Notable Practitioners, reflecting their distinguished expertise and achievements in the intellectual property field:


Patent Star: Un Ho Kim, Jae Hoon Kim, Keum Nang Park, Hwan Sung Park
Trademark Star: Jae Hoon Kim, Vera Eun Woo Lee
Rising star: Min Soo Kim, Min Wook Kim, Sung Hoon Kim

Lee & Ko’s Intellectual Property Group leverages its extensive global network to deliver premier legal services in patent disputes across multiple jurisdictions, including the United States, Europe, and Japan. With a deep and precise understanding of both technology and law, the Group consistently achieves favorable outcomes in both litigation and advisory matters. Most recently, Lee & Ko secured a landmark ruling before the Patent Court of Korea, the first decision to hold that posting and selling products covered by a Korean patent on overseas e-commerce platforms constitutes an “offer to assign,” thereby infringing the Korean patent right. This precedent-setting decision, grounded in a sophisticated analysis of cross-border e-commerce transactions and global case law developments, has been recognized as establishing a new interpretive standard for the protection of intellectual property rights.

Lee & Ko also provides comprehensive contractual and IP clearance advice, including matters relating to the Copyright Act, the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act, and rights of publicity, in connection with the production of Netflix series and other major content projects. By combining its deep expertise in copyright and IP transactions with extensive practical know-how, the firm offers production companies effective, tailored legal solutions to ensure the smooth production and distribution of creative works.

Managing Intellectual Property (Managing IP) is a leading international publication in the field of intellectual property. Each year, it publishes the IP Stars rankings based on surveys and interviews with IP professionals worldwide, identifying leading law firms by country and practice area.

Lee & Ko has recruited Hoo Gon Kim (JRTI 25TH), former Prosecutor General of the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office. Mr. Kim built a distinguished career in the Anti-Corruption Departments, where he directed major corruption investigations throughout his service. He served as Prosecutor General of the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office, Chief Prosecutor of the Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office, and Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors’ Office. He also held posts including Head of the Anti-Corruption Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, Head of the Anti-Corruption Division at the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, and Senior Researcher at the Anti-Corruption Division of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, where he was responsible for major corruption cases. In addition, at the Advanced Criminal Investigations Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, he handled IT-related and personal data infringement cases, establishing himself as a distinguished criminal law expert with broad capabilities across diverse areas of practice.

In addition to his prosecutorial achievements, Attorney Kim served on secondment to the Korea Communications Commission in 2008, advising on major industry issues including mergers in the telecommunications and broadcasting industry and sports broadcasting rights. He also demonstrated strong leadership within the prosecution, notably leading the “AI Blockchain Community,” involving dozens of prosecutors, and contributing to key policy initiatives as Director General of the Planning and Coordination Office at the Ministry of Justice. Additionally, he played an active role in trial management as Director of the Trial Division at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and served as a member of the Supreme Court’s Sentencing Commission. His experience extended further to overseeing IT affairs with the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office as Head of the Information and Communications Division.

At Lee & Ko, Attorney Kim will lead the Criminal Practice Group, enhancing the firm’s expertise in corporate, finance, serious accident, antitrust, and customs-related matters, while supporting legislative initiatives and statutory interpretation.

Managing Partner Sang Gon Kim (JRTI 23RD) commented, “Welcoming an elite attorney who has commanded great respect both within the prosecution and among industry peers further enhances the capabilities of our Criminal Practice Group. We remain dedicated to maintaining our status as Korea’s premier law firm.”

Lee & Ko has appointed former 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, Geun Hyuk Yoo, as a senior advisor.

Advisor Ryu graduated from Inha University with a degree in Public Administration, earned a Master’s degree in Public Health from Swansea University in Wales, UK, and completed a Ph.D. in Health Sciences at Inje University.

After passing the 36th Public Administration Examination in 1992, he began his public service career and served for 30 years at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, holding senior positions including Director-General of the Health Policy Bureau, Spokesperson, Director-General of the Policy Planning Bureau, Director-General of the Pension Policy Bureau, and Director of the Population and Social Service Policy Office. He further advanced his leadership as Secretary for Social Policy for the Office of the President, overseeing a broad range of social policies including health and welfare, food, pharmaceuticals, and disease control, and most recently as 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare responsible for the nation’s comprehensive healthcare policies. Drawing upon his extensive experience and expertise accumulated over three decades in government, Mr. Yoo will play an integral role in strengthening Lee & Ko’s Healthcare Team.

Sang Gon Kim, Managing Partner at Lee & Ko, said, “The Healthcare Team at Lee & Ko provides optimal services on a wide range of issues in medical devices, food, cosmetics, and healthcare. With the addition of Advisor Geun Hyuk Ryu, who has rich experience and deep expertise in healthcare, we have further strengthened the team’s advisory capabilities as a national leader in this sector.”

Lee & Ko has named Sung Kyu Lee, former Director General of the Cartel Investigation Division at the Fair Trade Commission, as Advisor. Lee graduated from the Department of Economics at Seoul National University, earned a Master’s degree from the Graduate School of Public Administration at Seoul National University, further completed an MBA at the University of Washington in the United States, and obtained a Ph.D. in Law from Hanyang University Law School, with a focus on big data. After passing the 42nd Public Administration Examination in 1998, Mr. Lee served in the core divisions of the Fair Trade Commission, including the Competition Promotion Division (currently the Anti-Monopoly Investigation Bureau), the Business Group Regulation Division, and the Competition Policy Bureau, and subsequently assumed senior posts such as Director General of the Cartel Investigation Division, Director of the M&A Division, Cooperation Deliberation Management Officer at the General Counsel’s Office, and Director of the E-commerce Investigation Team.

Notably, during his tenure, he led the complex merger review of Baemin-Yogiyo, two of the largest players in Korea’s platform industry. This merger is considered one of the most challenging and high-profile review cases in recent years. As Director General of the Cartel Investigation Division, he spearheaded key institutional reforms addressing critical cartel issues, including legislative amendments and the development of new review standards targeting information exchange collusion.

Sang Gon Kim, Managing Partner at Lee & Ko, commented, “Our Antitrust & Competition Group brings together attorneys, economists, and former fair trade officials to offer comprehensive, one-stop services ranging from corporate advisory, investigation responses, litigation, to criminal defense. Our sustained success is highlighted by significant victories in major cases, such as the recent all wins in the Korean Bar Association litigation concerning the legal tech platform, LawTalk. These capabilities have been recognized annually with top-tier rankings from renowned global legal directories, including Legal 500.” He added, “With Advisor Sung Kyu Lee joining our firm, who brings rich hands-on experience and outstanding expertise, we have further strengthened our antitrust advisory capabilities, solidifying our position as the premier competition law team in Korea.”