Recent Developments

On November 23, 2025, Asia Today featured coverage of Lee & Ko’s latest talent acquisitions. The article emphasized that “Lee & Ko did not simply recruit based on years of experience but instead brought in professionals recognized as ‘top-echelon’ experts in their individual fields. To reinforce its labor capabilities in anticipation of extensive reforms under President Lee’s administration, the firm welcomed former Minister of Employment and Labor Kyung Duck An as a senior advisor and introduced a team dedicated to labor compliance. Also, the inclusion of former 1st Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Sunho Park and former 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Geun Hyuk Yoo as senior advisors has significantly expanded its depth of expertise in real estate, construction, and healthcare.” It continued by noting that, ”Lee & Ko hired professionals from diverse fields, namely: former Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office Hoo Gon Kim; former Head of the Public Investigation Division at the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office Hun Heo; former Director-General of Economic and Security Affairs at the National Intelligence Service Seogon Kim; and former Secretary General of the Constitutional Court Jung Won Kim, to enhance response capabilities that encompass policy, practical operations, and investigation. Due to the arrival of these ‘top figures’ in each respective field, together with the launch of new strategic teams, Lee & Ko is proactively positioned to secure leadership in emerging markets.”

November 21, 2025
News1 reported on Hyungi Ryu of Lee & Ko, attending the "2025 U.S. Market Entry Seminar" jointly hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI). During the seminar, he stated, “Korean companies pursuing M&A in the U.S. must carefully consider complex regulations, laws, and the strategic environment when developing their strategies. It is essential to review the transaction structure, taking into account tax issues from the early stages, as well as the review process by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which directly impacts the transaction timeline. Additionally, it is crucial to conduct a preemptive review of key negotiation points in U.S. M&A deals."

On November 10, 2025, The Law Times reported that Lee & Ko has received recognition in six categories at the ALB Korea Law Awards 2025, hosted by Asian Legal Business (ALB), a leading international legal publication. In the Practice-Firm category, which honors law firms demonstrating excellence in their respective practice areas, Lee & Ko was named the Korea Deal Firm of the Year, Litigation Law Firm of the Year, and Tax and Trusts Law Firm of the Year. The firm was also recognized for its advisory roles in several high-profile transactions spotlighted in the Deal and Transaction categories: Debt Market Deal of the Year for Hanwha Life’s issuance of overseas subordinated capital securities; Equity Market Deal of the Year for LG Chem’s issuance of overseas exchangeable bonds; and M&A Deal of the Year for Korean Air’s acquisition of Asiana Airlines and divestment of its cargo business. 

The article further noted that “to date, Lee & Ko has successfully handled numerous high-stakes cases, including the Pohang earthquake damages appeal, the HSBC short-selling criminal case, and the SK Chemicals humidifier disinfectant litigation. In addition, during the evaluation process, the firm’s proven expertise was demonstrated in several major transactions, such as LG Energy Solution’s acquisition of Ultium Cells LLC shares, SK Specialty’s sale of a controlling interest, the value-added tax dispute involving Lotte Group, etc.”
 

On November 6, 2025, The Asia Business Daily featured Lee & Ko Partner Hyunjoo Oh in its coverage, honoring her selection as a “Power K-Woman” at the Women Leaders Forum 2025. The article underscored that “the selection of Power K-Woman values authentic social influence above individual fame, based on criteria for innovation, creativity, pioneering spirit, inclusiveness, dedication, and work-life balance,” and closed with the observation that “Attorney Hyunjoo Oh emphasizes the importance of internalizing these standards, urging others not to follow suit but to chart their own course through self-reflection.”

On September 17, 2025, Asia Today published an interview with Minseok Si, Head of the ESG Center at Lee & Ko. The article introduced Mr. Si as a labor–management relations expert who served for over 30 years at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, including as Senior Administrative Officer for Employment & Labor and as Commissioner of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office. Drawing on his extensive field experience and policy design/coordination capabilities, he now plays a strategic role at Lee & Ko in linking labor-sector issues with corporate ESG initiatives.

In the interview, Mr. Si stated that “the Yellow Envelope Act fundamentally embodies an intent to resolve the dual structures and polarization between non-regular and regular workers, large enterprises and SMEs, and the central and local spheres.” He added that, “from the perspective of building a virtuous cycle, it accords with the spirit of ESG. Although it is a new and untested domain, it is a mountain we must cross and a challenge we must overcome.” He further emphasized the need to strike an appropriate balance between expanding the scope of “employer status” and preserving the “essence of managerial authority.”

On September 16, 2025, Aju Business Daily reported on Lee & Ko’s designation as a Tier 1 firm in all eight evaluated practice areas in the 2025 edition of the International Financial Law Review (IFLR1000). The report noted, “Lee & Ko has achieved Tier 1 status in every practice area for 14 consecutive years, and in the individual practice area rankings, 61 experts have been named Leading Lawyers, further demonstrating the firm’s outstanding capabilities as a premier law firm in Korea.” The report continued, “Attorney Hyunjoo Oh (JRTI 28th) of Banking & Finance Group has also received the distinguished honor of being named a Women Leader for the sixth consecutive year. With 27 years of experience in the capital markets, Ms. Oh is a finance specialist whose practice extends across the full spectrum of capital markets transactions—including securities and derivatives—together with capital markets regulation, disputes, foreign exchange regulation, and other areas of corporate finance.”

On September 15, 2025, Weekly Dong-Ah featured the Labor Compliance Team of Lee & Ko. The article noted that “Lee & Ko recruited former Minister of Employment and Labor Ahn Kyung-deok (33rd Higher Civil Service Examination) as a senior advisor in May and launched a new “Labor Compliance Team,” and that “the team is led by Mr. Chang-soo Jin and comprises more than 50 experts, including former judges and prosecutors, labor-specialist attorneys, former officials from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and certified labor consultants.”

In the interview, Mr. Jin stated: “In the past, companies often responded to labor issues in a piecemeal and ex post manner; however, with the imminent implementation of the “Yellow Envelope Act,” proactive responses to the significant, unavoidable changes in labor-management relations have become increasingly necessary. In particular, where social awareness of industrial accidents has grown, prevention is critical. To address new labor issues effectively, a comprehensive one-stop service is essential, and for that reason we launched the Labor Compliance Team by assembling professionals with the highest level of expertise across the various fields implicated in labor matters.

According to MoneyToday on September 15, 2025, Lee & Ko has engaged Hoo Gon Kim, 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 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.

On September 15, 2025, The JoongAng reported that Lee & Ko has appointed former 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, Geun Hyuk Yoo, as Senior Advisor. Mr. Yoo, who entered public service upon passing the 36th Public Administration Examination in 1992, devoted three decades to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. He served as Spokesperson and held senior posts including head of the Bureau of Health Policy, the Bureau of Policy Planning, the Bureau of Pension Policy, and the Office for Population and Social Service Policy. He further advanced his leadership as Secretary for Social Policy of the Office of the President, overseeing food, drug safety, and disease policy, and most recently served as 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, directing the nation’s comprehensive healthcare policies. Drawing on his extensive experience and expertise from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Office of the President, Mr. Yoo will play an integral role in strengthening Lee & Ko’s Healthcare Team.

September 12, 2025
An interview with lawyers Yong Joon Yoon, Daehoon Koo, Kyungchun Kim, and Tae Jung Kim from Lee & Ko’s Revised Commercial Act Task Force was reported in The Bell. Mr. Yoon stated, “The cumulative voting system is positive in that it allows minority shareholders to enter the board of directors, thereby strengthening monitoring and supervisory functions. There are also companies concerned that attempts to appoint directors by certain groups pursuing short-term or strategic interests during management disputes could harm long-term interests or management stability.” Mr. Koo highlighted the addition of “disagreements regarding claims on business management decisions affecting working conditions” to the scope of labor disputes, saying, “In the past, M&A decisions were made by following legal procedures while focusing solely on corporate profits, but now they must be reviewed and decided from the perspective of protecting shareholder interests and fair treatment, with enhanced communication with shareholders.”

MoneyToday announced on September 11, 2025, that Lee & Ko has named Sung Kyu Lee, former Director General of Cartel Investigation 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, 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 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 Cartel Investigation, Director of the M&A Division, Cooperation Deliberation Management Officer at the General Counsel’s Office, and Director of the E-commerce Investigation Team.

On September 10, 2025, MTN News published an interview with Attorney Eunpyo Hong of Lee & Ko. After serving as a judge for 20 years, Attorney Hong joined Lee & Ko and currently serves as the President of the Korea Blockchain Law Society.

In the interview, Attorney Hong explained that “stablecoins are a new instrument combining both the functions of currency and the innovation of virtual assets (crypto assets). If policy focuses on only one aspect, potential risks may be overlooked. Regulatory approaches must therefore balance both stability and innovation.”