Recent Developments

May 13, 2025
Attorney Sejoong Lee of Lee & Ko was featured in the SJBnews, with the article stating, “Attorney Sejoong Lee, who leads the Shareholder Dispute Practice Group within Lee & Ko’s M&A team, formulates strategies that prioritize clients’ interests with swift judgment and extensive experience, even in complex and sensitive cases.” It also highlighted, “His tailored advice that reflects each client’s unique circumstances has earned him deep trust from clients.”
 

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 April 28, 2025, the Maeil Business Newspaper spotlighted Lee & Ko’s Global Disputes Group. The article reported that “Lee & Ko has become the first Korean law firm to establish a comprehensive Global Disputes Group, designed to offer expert-driven and coordinated solutions to complex international disputes.”

The article noted that “the Global Disputes Group, led by Dr. Eun Young Park, is comprised of over ten specialized teams, including the International Arbitration Team, International Litigation Team, International IP Disputes Team, International Trade Team, and Economic Sanctions Team. The Group is structured to provide integrated and coordinated solutions as well as tailored solutions depending on the nature of the disputes and the issue at stake.”

The article further highlighted that “the launch of Lee & Ko’s Global Disputes Group marks an unprecedented initiative by Korean law firms. It is seen as an industry-leading and strategic step, positioning the firm to proactively respond to increasingly complex and sophisticated international disputes.”

On April 28, 2025, Yonhap News featured the “2025 Digital Asset Policy Report,” which included expert insights from Attorney Jongsoo (Jay) Yoon of Lee & Ko, who serves as an advisor to the Digital Asset Exchange Alliance (DAXA). In the report, Attorney Yoon asserted that KRW-based stablecoins should be subject to the same level of regulation as electronic currency under the Electronic Financial Transactions Act. He emphasized that the regulations of stablecoins should balance fostering innovation with risk mitigation and stated that a regulatory framework aligned with existing electronic payment methods is essential to prevent regulatory arbitrage.

On April 28, 2025, Forbes Korea published a column by Attorney Jaewoo Kwak of Lee & Ko titled “The Explosive Growth of OTT Services, Outdated Regulatory Framework.” In the piece, Attorney Kwak explained that OTT services are currently regulated under the Promotion of the Motion Pictures and Video Products Act (Motion Pictures and Video Act) and the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (Network Act), both of which are designed around traditional film and video distribution models. He pointed out that because OTT services are governed by the Network Act rather than the Broadcasting Act, they can distribute content after review by the Korea Media Rating Board or through internal standards without undergoing the rigorous scrutiny of the Korea Communications Commission. He stressed that as Korea’s video content industry increasingly competes on a global stage, legal and regulatory systems must evolve proactively rather than simply trying to fit OTT services into outdated frameworks.

On April 28, 2025, Law Times Korea reported on an interview with Attorney Eunpyo Hong of Lee & Ko, who was recently appointed as the second president of the Korea Blockchain Law Society. In the interview, Attorney Hong noted that Bitcoin has maximized security to serve as digital gold, while Ethereum’s embedded computing functions offer limitless potential—highlighting that blockchain technology extends far beyond finance. He emphasized the need for society to explore how blockchain can be adopted and applied across diverse fields, including artificial intelligence and content creation, and called for a broader perspective on its utilization.

April 22, 2025, The Korea Economic Daily featured Lee & Ko’s Management Dispute Team in a special report on law firms. The report described Lee & Ko’s team as the "living history" of management disputes in Korea, noting that they have been actively involved since more than 20 years ago, when the concept of management disputes itself was not clearly defined. The team has continued to make a strong presence in high-profile corporate management disputes, including cases involving SM Entertainment, Hanmi Pharm, Hanjin Kal, and Osstem Implant. The Management Dispute Team is led by Managing Partner Ho Joon Moon and consists of key members including Sejoong Lee of the Corporate Advisory Group led by Ho Joon Moon, and Dajoo Jung, of the Litigation Group. Ho Joon Moon commented, "Management disputes is where Lee & Ko’s strengths in traditional M&A and litigation really come to the forefront, marking the firm’s resurgence in its prime."

On April 22, 2025, the Korea Economic Daily published an interview with Sang Gon Kim, Managing Partner of Lee & Ko, in its special feature on law firms. In the interview, Mr. Kim highlighted, “This year, Lee & Ko will continue to grow based on amicable relationships with corporate clients who lead the outbound deal market.” Moreover, confirming the plan to establish the Singapore office aimed at the international dispute market, he added, “Lee & Ko will not only increase its contact points with the international arbitration market through local offices, but also accelerate full-fledged exchanges with global financial institutions.”

On April 17, 2025, the JoongAng Ilbo featured the Corporate Control Disputes Team of Lee & Ko. The article reported, “Lee & Ko has established a permanent task force dedicated to corporate control disputes, providing comprehensive responses ranging from shareholder and Proxy advisory firm engagement to media strategies.”
It went on to explain, “Responding to corporate control disputes requires expertise in both traditional M&A and litigation. This makes it an area where Lee & Ko, a longstanding powerhouse in M&A and a rapidly rising player in litigation, can showcase its strengths most effectively.”
The article continued, “Responding to disputes over corporate control—a field regarded as the epitome of M&A—requires a multifaceted approach that takes into account hostile opponents and various stakeholders, as well as the ability to adapt to constantly evolving circumstances. In this regard, extensive M&A experience is absolutely essential.”
Finally, the article emphasized, “Lee & Ko has consistently received top-tier (Band 1) rankings from major domestic and international evaluation agencies such as Chambers and The Legal 500 for decades. This solid foundation enables the firm to deliver optimal strategies for any type of corporate control dispute.”

On April 16, 2025, E-Daily reported on Attorney Hwan Kyoung Ko of Lee & Ko, who participated in the Spring Academic Seminar of the Association of Platform Law and Policy under the theme “The Current Status and Prospects of Korea’s AI Law.” Attorney Ko, a member of both the National AI Committee and the National Data Policy Committee, emphasized the urgent need to expedite the enactment of subordinate regulations and guidelines to address legal uncertainties faced by AI service providers. He also noted that technical matters should be governed flexibly through notifications and recommended that certain provisions allow deferred application periods to ensure sufficient compliance preparation.

On April 10, 2025, Law Times Korea reported that Attorney Eunpyo Hong of Lee & Ko has been appointed as the second president of the Korea Blockchain Law Society. Attorney Hong previously served for 20 years as a judge, holding positions such as Senior Research Judge at the Supreme Court, Secretary-General of the Korean Association for Informedia Law, and member of the AI Law Reform Task Force. More recently, he has been serving as Vice President of the Korea Blockchain Law Society and as a steering committee member of the Legal System Forum of the National Information Society Agency.

On March 30, 2025, Seoul Economic Daily reported on the victory of Lee & Ko’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. The article stated, “Lee & Ko’s Intellectual Property Practice Group successfully represented Wonik PNE, a manufacturer of secondary battery activation devices, in a lawsuit over patent ownership against a competing company.” It further highlighted that “after a prolonged dispute lasting three years and four months, Lee & Ko’s Intellectual Property Practice Group secured decisive victories for Wonik PNE before both the court of first instance and the court of second instance.” During the litigation process, Lee & Ko attorneys proved that the patent was the result of an employee invention developed by Wonik PNE employees during their work duties, thereby preventing the leakage of core technologies.