For many decades, the Foreign Investment Practice Group has dedicated itself to helping foreign investors desiring to establish a business presence in Korea to identify the most suitable and advantageous means or vehicle for their investment into Korea, and to working with them towards the successful completion of their objectives in Korea by providing advice on a wide spectrum of legal issues pertaining to their investments and business operations.

The Foreign Investment Practice Group at Lee & Ko understands the key importance in selecting the right form of entity as the vehicle for the foreign investment, and is keen on providing tailored and comprehensive advice to assist the foreign investor in selecting the most appropriate form for its business. Whether the business objectives of the foreign investor requires the investment to be through the establishment of a wholly-owned Korean subsidiary, a branch or a liaison office of the foreign investor, a strategic joint venture with a Korean partner that is familiar with the Korean business environment, or an outright acquisition of existing shares in a Korean company, the Group is fully capable of assisting the foreign investor to make an informed decision, and providing the foreign investor with the required assistance.

In addition, the Foreign Investment Practice Group assists foreign investors by advising on relevant laws in connection with their area of business, drafting of agreements, advising on tax, labor, fair trade, approvals and permits, and other issues surrounding the foreign investment in the most efficient and accurate manner. Further, Lee & Ko has advised foreign invested companies on an on-going basis on legal issues arising out of their operations in Korea.

Especially, in recent years, there has been an increase of cases whereby foreign investors have established joint venture companies or strategic alliances with Korean companies in efforts to ensure a soft landing into the Korean market. Given Lee & Ko’s unsurpassed levels of experience and expertise, clients contemplating any important joint venture or other strategic alliance arrangement in Korea can confidently rely upon the Foreign Investment Practice Group to provide the best and most comprehensive legal assistance available.

Major Cases

Represented AXA Group in its acquisition of stock in Kyobo Life Insurance Co.,Ltd.
Represented Munich Reinsurance in its acquisition of Daum Direct Car Insurance.
Represented Citibank in its acquisition of Koram Bank.
Represented Boeing in its acquisition of shares in Huneed.
Represented Standard Chartered Bank in its acquisition of KEB Card.
Represented eBay in its acquisition of shares in Auction.
Represented China Investment in its acquisition of Orion PDP.
Represented Siemens A.G. in its acquisition of shares in Bontech and Hyundai Autonet.
Establishment of a biogas joint venture company between Saudi International Petrochemical and Hanwha Chemical Corporation.
Establishment of LG-Nortel Co., Ltd., a telecommunications systems business joint venture company between Nortel Networks Limited and LG Electronics Inc.
Establishment of a trucking joint venture company between Hanjin and Central Asian Tran (Uzbekistan).
Establishment of a confectionary joint venture company in China between Lotte Confectionary and Hershey.
Establishment of a methyl-methacrylate chemical joint venture company between Daelim Industrial and Asahi Kasei Chemicals.
Represented other multinational companies such as Aegon Group, BOC Group, British Telecom, Citibank, Crucell N.V., Emirates Airline, Ford, Google, Heineken, ITW, Mars, McDonald’s, MTV, Omnicom, Procter & Gamble, RCI Global, UCB, etc. with the establishment and/or operation of their business in Korea.