Recent Developments

June 30, 2026
Yonhap Infomax reported that Lee & Ko ranked second in the legal advisory market for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the first half of 2026, recording deals worth KRW 15.2443 trillion. According to Yonhap Infomax, the firm's performance was largely driven by advising the French company, Air Liquide, in its acquisition of DIG Airgas. It added that Lee & Ko further boosted its deal value by advising the seller in EQT Partners' acquisition of a stake in Douzone Bizon and the buyer in SK Gas' transfer of shares in Ulsan GPS.

May 27, 2026 
Lee & Ko’s M&A Group was featured in Korea Herald Business. Korea Herald Business reported that “the industry views Lee & Ko as having built a balanced track record not only with strategic investors (SIs) from large conglomerates, but also in transactions involving domestic and international private equity funds (PEFs).” It also noted that “the firm’s ability to deploy manpower steadily even when multiple large-scale transactions are underway simultaneously is considered one of its key competitive strengths.”
 

April 10, 2026
Korea Herald Business featured the M&A league table rankings for South Korea published by Bloomberg. In its report, Korea Herald highlighted that “Lee & Ko has shown exceptional performance in the domestic M&A legal advisory market during the first quarter of this year." It further stated, “With 25 legal advisory cases completed in Q1, Lee & Ko claimed the top position in deal volume surpassing Kim & Chang, which held the lead during the same period last year.” The report analyzed, “The success of Lee & Ko in the first quarter can be attributed to the 'One-Team' operational model of its corporate advisory group, which specializes in M&A. The firm's distinctive and integrated organizational culture has driven such outstanding results.”

March 31, 2026

Yonhap Infomax reported that Lee & Ko ranked second in the M&A legal advisory market for the first quarter of 2026. According to Yonhap Infomax, Lee & Ko advised on a total of 23 deals with the total transaction value reaching KRW 8.19 trillion during the first quarter, maintaining its second-place standing. The firm’s role in advising the French company Air Liquide on its acquisition of DIG Airgas had a significant impact, and the firm also provided advisory services to the target side in CJ CheilJedang’s multi-trillion-won sale of CJ Feed & Care.

August 18, 2025
NEWSTOMATO reported an interview with attorneys Ho Joon Moon, Daehoon Koo, Kyungchun Kim, and Tae Jung Kim from the Commercial Law Reform Task Force (TF) of Lee & Ko. Managing partner Ho Joon Moon stated, “In May, Lee & Ko established a Commercial Law Reform Task Force. We anticipate that the revised Commercial Act will bring significant changes to existing corporate legal practices and the capital market. Particularly under the current administration, there has been an active push to revise the Commercial Act, prompting a need for deeply considered and practical countermeasures that harmonize legal practice and precedents.” He added, “Currently, more than 10 attorneys and experts specializing in corporate law and M&A, with practical experience and policy expertise, have been deployed to respond to market changes. We are closely following the revision process, conducting in-depth research on the content and related issues, and exploring application strategies tailored to individual companies, with the goal of providing clients with practical support.”

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.”

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.”
 

December 12, 2024
The performance of the Corporate Practice Group of Lee & Ko was reported by Legal Times in “Korea’s Corporate Legal Market Review of 2024.” Legal Times stated, "According to Bloomberg's cumulative 3rd quarter M&A league table, Lee & Ko topped the list in terms of deal value with a market share of 31.1%, having advised on 71 transactions worth $30.976 billion for the year to date, surpassing Kim & Chang. The results of full-year league table, including the 4th quarter, are awaited.” The report also highlighted that Lee & Ko’s M&A team consistently provides efficient and accurate advisory services, offering creative solutions to even the most complex and challenging requests from clients.
 

On April 1, 2024, the Bell announced that, in its League Table for the first quarter of 2024, Lee & Ko has topped the list for Merger, Spin-off and Join Venture advisory services, with four deals totaling a transactional volume of KRW 1.5424 trillion, representing an adjusted share of 57.50%. “Lee & Ko has reclaimed its top spot in this category for the first time in eight years since 2016,” the Bell noted, “Kim & Chang moved down to second place after holding the first-place position for five years.” The four transactions in which Lee & Ko has been providing advisory services include SK Energy’s spin-off of SK Entern (KRW 948.7 billion), Douzone BizOn’s merger with Douzone Holdings (KRW 269.1 billion), and the merger of Woori Asset Management and Woori Global Asset Management (KRW 220.3 billion).