最新消息

On May 12, 2025, The Korea Economic Daily reported on Lee & Ko’s incorporation of former Minister of Employment and Labor Mr. Ahn, Kyung-Duk as a Senior Advisor. The article noted that Mr. Ahn entered public service through the 33rd Civil Service Examination in 1989 and held various key positions at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, including Director of Labor-Management Relations Coordination, Director of Foreign Workforce Policy, Director-General of International Cooperation, Director-General of Occupational Safety and Compensation Policy, Regional Commissioner of the Seoul Employment and Labor Office, Director-General of Labor Policy, and Director-General of Planning and Coordination. He was appointed Minister in 2019 while serving as Standing Commissioner of the Presidential Economic, Social & Labor Council.

The article further noted that Lee & Ko has actively recruited high-level officials with over 30 years of experience in central government roles, including Mr. Park Sun-Ho (former First Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) and Mr. Choi Moo-Jin (former Director-General of Corporate Policy at the Fair Trade Commission), who joined the firm on March 1, and Mr. Jang Seok-Young (former Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT), who joined on January 1 to bolster the firm’s regulatory response capabilities.

On December 1, 2024, the Korea Economic Daily reported on a notable victory by the Employment & Labor Team of Lee & Ko, regarding the complex issue of whether an operating company is obligated to directly employ toll collectors, who were not direct employees but subcontracted workers. The article stated, "The 17th Civil Division of the Suwon District Court fully dismissed the claims of 22 former toll collectors from a private highway operator (Company A) in a labor-related lawsuit filed against Company A on the 2nd of last month." The ruling is significant as it marks the first court decision affirming that private highway operators have no obligation to directly employ toll collectors affiliated with subcontractors. This outcome diverges sharply from a Supreme Court ruling in April of last year and is expected to set an important precedent for disputes involving worker dispatch relationships.

In connection with the case, Jae-in Noh, an attorney from Lee & Ko’s Employment & Labor Team who represented Company A, commented, "In dispatch cases, it was crucial to demonstrate that the “substance” of the contractual relationship, as evidenced by emails, text messages, and KakaoTalk messages exchanged between the parties, takes precedence over “formalities” such as contracts and task orders.

On January 28, 2024, the Legal Times reported the latest litigation win by Lee&Ko. The 3rd Division of the Supreme Court (Chief Justice Seok-jun Oh) held that Hyundai Motor Company’s termination of Employee A for poor job performance was justified, thereby ordering the cancellation of the Central Labor Relations Commission’s decision. As a result, the Supreme Court’s decision reversed the district court’s affirmation and remanded the case to the Seoul High Court in favor of Hyundai Motor Company. Lee&Ko served as counsel to Hyundai Motor Company in the Supreme Court.

On November 21, 2023, the Legal Times reported a litigation victory of Lee & Ko. In a case brought by three Homeplus store employees, including Mr. A and others, who filed a lawsuit against the company (Case No. 2022Gadan215177), demanding payment of holiday work allowances for working on public holidays and Sundays. The court ruled that Homeplus's practice of granting weekday time off for working on public holidays and Sundays to employees is valid. Lee & Ko represented Homeplus in the case.

On April 24, 2023, Lee & Ko’s Employment and Labor Practice Group was featured in Korea Economy, a prominent newspaper. Korea Economy phrased Lee & Ko’s Employment and Labor Practice Group as “provid[ing] comprehensive legal services based on more than 30 years of accumulated knowledge and practical experience, including lawsuits and legal advisory support," and that "[the practice group] actively addresses and tackles new emerging or evolving issues regarding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management, serious industrial accidents, workplace harassment, as well as labor and management disputes related to restructuring, employment contracts, wage systems, and collective agreements.