Recent Developments

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.

Lee & Ko Attorney Jin Hun Kim has been selected for Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific’s ‘Top 40 Under 40 2026’ in recognition of his outstanding achievements, including his success in a claim valued at approximately KRW 106 billion brought on behalf of the Banpo Jugong Apt. Complex 1 — Districts 1, 2 and 4 — Housing Reconstruction Project Association against the Korea Land and Housing Corporation, seeking registration of transfer of ownership on the grounds of completed acquisitive prescription by possession.

Mr. Kim is a construction and real estate specialist whose practice focuses on litigation and advisory work relating to urban improvement projects, including redevelopment and reconstruction. He has built a strong track record of favorable outcomes across the full spectrum of project-related matters, including injunctions prohibiting general meetings, halting bidding procedures or suspending the performance of official duties; civil actions confirming contractor status and seeking damages; and administrative litigation to invalidate association establishment authorizations or rescind management and disposal plans.

He also achieved the distinction of having a constitutional complaint, filed on behalf of a housing reconstruction project association, referred to the Full Bench of the Constitutional Court — only the second such case since the mechanism was introduced. Most recently, he prevailed on behalf of the Banpo Jugong Apt. Complex 1 Housing Reconstruction Project Association in a claim valued at approximately KRW 106 billion for registration of transfer of ownership based on completed acquisitive prescription by possession. His expertise, capabilities and demonstrated track record have earned him a place on Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific’s ‘Top 40 Under 40 2026.’

Benchmark Litigation, published by Delinian, formerly Euromoney, is a globally renowned publication focusing on dispute resolution and litigation. Its ‘Top 40 Under 40’ list recognizes 40 outstanding lawyers under the age of 40 in the Asia-Pacific region based on extensive research and evaluation.

Lee & Ko Attorneys Keum Nang Park of the Healthcare Group and Miji Lee of the Antitrust & Competition Group have been named to Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific’s ‘Top 100 Women in Litigation 2026’ in recognition of their outstanding achievements in healthcare-related patent and regulatory disputes, as well as major competition law matters.

Ms. Park serves as Co-Head of Lee & Ko’s Healthcare Group, advising clients on intellectual property matters—including pharmaceutical and biotechnology patents—as well as a broad range of regulatory matters involving the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and the Ministry of Environment. She brings deep and wide-ranging expertise across the healthcare industry, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, cosmetics, food, dietary supplements and household chemical products. Ms. Park was named to this year’s list in recognition of her success in defending market exclusivity on behalf of the patent holder of a world-renowned cardiovascular blockbuster drug, prevailing in more than 100 patent suits brought by numerous generic manufacturers. Her selection also reflects her achievements in protecting patent rights in litigation involving a widely used blockbuster biologic for chronic inflammatory disease and a prominent blockbuster biologic for ophthalmic disease.

Ms. Lee has extensive experience in fair trade law, having represented Korean and multinational companies before the Korea Fair Trade Commission and the courts in numerous matters involving cartels, abuse of market dominance, unfair trade practices and unfair support activities. She is also highly experienced in domestic and cross-border merger filings. Recently, she has acted for shipping companies, major platform operators and other Korean and international clients in a series of appeal proceedings challenging significant KFTC dispositions. Ms. Lee was named to this year’s list as a respected female litigator who represents her clients’ interests with unwavering commitment at every stage, from KFTC investigations and hearings through to follow-on litigation.

Benchmark Litigation, published by Delinian, formerly Euromoney, is a globally renowned publication focusing on dispute resolution and litigation. Its annual ‘Top 100 Women in Litigation’ list recognizes 100 leading female litigators in the Asia-Pacific region based on months of in-depth research and analysis.

Lee & Ko is pleased to announce that Kiri Yi, partner in the firm's Arbitration & Litigation Group, has been recognized on the “Asia Top 30 Litigators 2026” list by Asian Legal Business (ALB), a premier legal publication, in acknowledgment of his exceptional expertise and record of bringing major disputes to favorable resolution, most notably the landmark Pohang earthquake state liability litigation.
 
Thomson Reuters’ ALB annually selects attorneys across the Asia-Pacific region who have delivered outstanding results in high-stakes litigation. This recognition reflects his exceptional expertise in complex, high-stakes disputes on the international stage.
 
Prior to joining Lee & Ko, Mr. Yi served nineteen years on the bench at the Seoul Central District Court, Seoul High Court, Suwon District Court, and other courts nationwide. That judicial experience laid the foundation for a practice covering corporate criminal defense, international litigation, product liability, administrative law, and M&A and management rights disputes. His engineering background and command of foreign languages uniquely position him to handle matters characterized by the intersection of technical complexity and cross-border dimensions.
 
Mr. Yi’s standout achievement was the Pohang earthquake state liability litigation, in which he prevailed on appeal, overturning the first-instance judgment and obtaining dismissal of all plaintiffs' claims. He subsequently secured a favorable outcome in a class action requiring deep technical fluency in smartphone technology and prevailed in a criminal matter centered on complex capital markets transactions. These results underscore his mastery of both litigation strategy and courtroom advocacy in matters of the highest complexity.

On June 15, 2026, Lee & Ko hosted a seminar on “Competition Law Trends & Precedents”.
 
In the seminar, which was held both online and offline, Lee & Ko’s experienced and specialized antitrust and competition law experts and attorneys analyzed and explained the decisions and implications of major antitrust cases.
 
In the first session, Lee Sung-kyu, a senior expert, presented the theme of "Recent Fair Trade Policy and Law Enforcement Trends." Based on the Lee Jae-myung administration's national affairs and the FTC's 2026 work report, the actual policy implementation and law enforcement trends over the past year were summarized, and based on the decisions, investigations, and judgments related to the fair trade case, the FTC's future law enforcement trends were forecast and implications and corporate countermeasures were presented.
 
In the second session, Jeongyoon Choi (Partner) examined the policy and regulatory trends of the new administration and the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) under the theme of “Recent Enforcement Trends and Implications in the Franchise Sector.” In particular, key takeaways were drawn from a number of recent KFTC decisions in the franchise area. In addition, the session provided a detailed review of the Supreme Court’s reasoning in the Pizza Hut case, where franchisees’ claims for restitution of unjust enrichment were recognized, and in the Mom’s Touch case, where such claims were dismissed. Based on these analyses, the session highlighted key considerations for reviewing and refining business models in the Korean franchise sector going forward.
 
In the third session, Byongki Chung (Partner) delivered a presentation on 'Key Precedents in Antitrust and Competition Law.' He explained major antitrust precedents from the second half of 2025 and the first half of 2026. These included the Naver Shopping judgment—the first leading case regarding a platform operator's self-preferencing behavior; the Supreme Court ruling that recognized the Fair Trade Commission's authority to sanction collusion among shipping lines; and the Supreme Court decision clarifying that the practice of using multiple affiliates to win public land bids and subsequently transferring them (so-called 'bee-swarm bidding') cannot be definitively concluded as an unfair support activity.
 
We are also pleased to announce that Attorney Giusung Oh (former judge and former KFTC Hearing Officer and Commissioner), who joined Lee & Ko on June 1, 2026, will present at our next seminar. We look forward to your continued interest and participation.