Recent Developments

July 2, 2025
Legal Times has reported on the M&A advisory performance of Lee & Ko for the first half of the year. According to Legal Times, “In Bloomberg’s 2025 first-half M&A league table based on deal value, Lee & Ko advised on 53 deals totaling USD 7.611 billion, holding a 16.5% market share and securing the top position.”

July 2, 2025
Dealsite has reported in detail on the M&A legal advisory performance of Lee & Ko for the first half of this year. It mentioned, “Lee & Ko secured the top spot in M&A legal advisory with KRW 17.5 trillion in deals, surpassing longtime leader Kim & Chang. Lee & Ko overtook Kim & Chang by KRW 174.2 billion in legal advisory performance during the first half of the year, claiming the lead in M&A rankings. Notably, in the second quarter alone, Lee & Ko ranked as the undisputed No. 1, pulling off a dramatic reversal from a pursuer to a market leader.” The report added, “This success is attributed to Lee & Ko’s focus on mega cross-border deals and advisory work involving foreign acquirers, which enabled it to outpace Kim & Chang. Industry observers say this marks the end of Kim & Chang’s long-standing dominance and signals a shift in the landscape of the legal market.”

July 1, 2025
The Bell reported in detail on the achievements of Lee & Ko in legal advice involving domestic mergers, spin-offs, and joint venture during the first half of this year. According to The Bell, “Based on the league table for the first half of 2025, the total completed transaction volume for mergers, spin-offs, and JV deals amounted to KRW 5.2207 trillion,” and “Lee & Ko topped the M&A, spin-off, and JV category for the first half of 2025 by completing four transactions with a total deal size of KRW 3.5815 trillion, securing an adjusted market share of 47.63%.” The report added, “A major driver behind the increase in transaction volume was the JV establishment between LG Energy Solution and Stellantis NV, advised by Lee & Ko. This was not only the only trillion-KRW transaction in the M&A/spin-off/JV sector in the first quarter, but also a large-scale deal nearing KRW 3.5 trillion.” It continued, “Lee & Ko also contributed to the absorption-type merger of Blue Whale Software Holdings by Skylake Longterm Strategic Investment III Limited (KRW 51.5 billion), and the merger of HD Hyundai and HD Hyundai Future Partners (KRW 28.4 billion).”
 

June 30, 2025

Seoul Economic Daily reported that Kyung Gyoon Park of Lee & Ko has been selected as one of the "Best Lawyers of the First Half of the Year" for providing advisory on key M&A deals. The article introduces Mr. Park as an M&A specialist, noting that he is "a guarantee of successful negotiations, bridging both large corporations and private equity funds (PEFs)." Seoul Economic Daily also mentioned, “Since joining Lee & Ko in 2013, Mr. Park has advised on transactions for major corporations such as LG, SK, HD Hyundai, Lotte, Shinsegae, as well as PEFs. His successful engagements include advising on JKL’s investment in Pluglink, Astra Asset Management’s acquisition of KC, JKL’s acquisition of Come In Wash, Eum Private Equity’s sale of Koryo Nobel Explosives, and Shinsegae International’s acquisition of Amuse.”
 

June 30, 2025

Korea Economic Daily reported that Korea Wafer Holdings (represented by Lee & Ko) has successfully acquired the management rights of 3S KOREA, the only domestic KOSDAQ-listed Front Opening Shipping Box (FOSB) manufacturer and the 6th largest company by market share in the global market. The article stated, "From the preparation phase of the hostile takeover, Korea Wafer Holdings, represented by Lee & Ko, conducted a detailed analysis of 3S KOREA’s governance vulnerabilities. While the existing management of 3S KOREA actively defended against the takeover for an extended period, they ultimately agreed to a settlement in early June, concluding that further resistance was futile. On June 26, at the regular shareholders’ meeting, all of the individuals nominated by Korea Wafer Holdings were appointed as directors, fully transferring the management control." 

Dajoo Jung, Kyungchun Kim, and Geun Hyung Yoon, attorneys of Lee & Ko who provided legal advice for this case, stated, "It is extremely rare to find a precedent where an attacker accumulates shares in the market to become the largest shareholder and then successfully executes a comprehensive attack to complete a hostile takeover in such a short period." They further noted, "This is especially a rare case where an attacker has acquired the management control of a listed company through a hostile takeover, which will serve as a valuable reference for future hostile takeovers and management rights disputes."
 

On May 27, 2025, MoneyToday highlighted Lee & Ko’s strong standing in international legal rankings. According to the article, “Global law firm evaluation agencies have ranked Kim & Chang and Lee & Ko as the highest-rated among major law firms in Korea, with a significant gap from the next tier rankings.” The article further noted, “Chambers Global, widely recognized as the world’s premier legal ranking agency, recently assessed law firms worldwide based on their performance in handling high-profile matters. Lee & Ko secured top-tier rankings in seven practice areas, while Kim & Chang earned Band 1 rankings in nine areas.”

On May 22, 2025, E-Daily published a detailed report on Lee & Ko’s recognition as the “South Korea Firm of the Year” at the Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific Awards 2025. In the article, E-Daily noted, “The award, presented annually by Benchmark Litigation – a globally renowned publication specializing in litigation and dispute resolution – is presented to the most outstanding litigation practice within each jurisdiction, and Lee & Ko has once again secured this honor, following its consecutive wins from 2021 through 2023.” The article also highlighted the firm’s continued success, particularly emphasizing the recent final victory achieved by its IP Practice Group on behalf of Coway in a prolonged, nearly 11-year infringement dispute with ChungHo Nais over ice-making water purifier technology.

E-Daily further spotlighted individual honors awarded to two of the firm’s female attorneys: Miji Lee, a partner of the Antitrust & Competition Group was named to the “Top 100 Women in Litigation 2025,” while Joohye Hong, a partner of the Real Estate & Construction Group was selected for the “Top 40 Under 40 2025.”

 

On May 17, 2025, The Korea Economic Daily published an interview with Mr. Zachary Sharpe of Lee & Ko. In the interview, Mr. Sharpe emphasized that “even after arbitration proceedings begin, it is essential to consider not only the outcome of the award, but also the long-term impact it may have on the client.” He added, “While many law firms specialize in arbitration, few are equipped to handle post-award matters such as enforcement and asset recovery. Clients are often curious about available options following an unfavorable award. That is precisely why Jones Day has a dedicated global disputes team.”

Lee & Ko launched its Global Disputes Group last year upon recruiting Dr. Eun Young Park (20th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), who had served as Vice President of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA). The Group is composed of more than ten teams, including the International Arbitration, International Trade, and Economic Sanctions teams, thereby strengthening the firm’s advisory capabilities in international disputes.

 

On May 15, 2025, Chosun Ilbo published an article highlighting the achievements of Lee & Ko’s Intellectual Property Practice Group in the long-running patent dispute between Coway and ChungHo. According to the article, the Supreme Court’s Third Division upheld the appellate court’s decision, thereby conclusively rejecting ChungHo’s claims of patent infringement and damages against Coway. This final ruling affirms Coway’s victory, with Lee & Ko representing Coway in the appellate court and the Supreme Court. The article explained that the court of first instance initially found Coway liable for patent infringement, ordering the company to pay KRW 10 billion to ChungHo and to destroy the infringing products. However, the appellate court subsequently overturned this decision, ruling in favor of Coway. The appellate court determined that the essence of ChungHo’s patent was the process of making ice directly from pre-cooled water, while Coway’s product made ice using water at various temperatures. The court also noted significant differences between key components of the two products. The article continued, “The Supreme Court also found that the appellate court’s decision was correct,” adding, “Coway represented by Lee & Ko ultimately prevailed in the 11-year patent infringement lawsuit against ChungHo over ice water purifiers.”

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.”