On April 15, 2024, E-Daily featured an interview with Lee & Ko’s attorney Seok Pyo Hong. The firm has recently received the Specialist award – Pro Bono at the 2024 IFLR Asia Pacific Awards, hosted by IFLR, a global financial and legal magazine, in recognition of its contribution to winning a lawsuit involving a refugee case. Commenting on this achievement, Mr. Hong, overseeing the firm’s overall public interest activities, said, “This signifies that Lee & Ko’s contribution to public interest has been acknowledged as the most impactful among law firms across the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia.” He further noted, “The award carries considerable significance in that it is unprecedented for domestic law firms to be awarded for their pro bono activities.”

On April 3, 2024, E-daily reported on Lee & Ko’s winning of the Specialist award – Pro Bono at the 2024 IFLR Asia Pacific Awards, hosted by IFLR, a global legal magazine specializing in finance. The firm received this specialist award in recognition of its contribution to winning an administrative lawsuit against the Incheon Airport Office of Immigration on behalf of refugees from Mali and Angola, seeking the cancellation of the decision not to refer refugee status for review. This case has become a significant precedent for the Korean government to conduct the refugee screening in accordance with due process. 

Lee & Ko has been selected as the winner of the Specialist award – Pro Bono at the 2024 IFLR Asia Pacific Awards. 

Lee & Ko won the lawsuit against the Incheon International Airport Immigration Bureau for cancellation of the determination not to refer to the refugee status screening on behalf of the refugees Mali and Angola. This case has become a landmark precedent for the South Korean government to conduct the refugee screening in accordance with due process. As a result of the collaboration and exercise of expertise by various attorneys in Lee & Ko, the firm was awarded the Specialist award – Pro bono in recognition of these activities. Lee & Ko plans to continue its vigorous efforts to provide legal support to the underprivileged. 

The IFLR (International Financial Law Review) is a global legal magazine specializing in finance. Annually at the IFLR Asia Pacific Awards, it selects and presents winners from various practice areas such as outstanding law firms, attorneys, deals, in-house counsels and specialist awards in Asia based on extensive research results, including submission by law firms and interviews with attorneys, in-house lawyers and corporate finance professionals.

On February 28, 2024, Law Times reported that Lee & Ko’s Pro Bono Committee delivered donations to four organizations such as “Heavenly Dream School”, an alternative school for North Korean defectors, “Together Goodwill Employment Support Center for North Korean Defectors” supporting North Korean defectors to settle in the society, “Open Door Youth Foundation”, a family community for children and youths abandoned due to abuse and “Myoungryun Orphanage”, a community living institution for children and youths. The donations delivered by Lee & Ko to these four organizations have been raised through the “Matching Grant Method” in which Lee & Ko Pro Bono Committee has additionally supported the same amount gained as the profits of “Lee & Ko Bazaar Sharing Love” hosted last year. 

On February 28, 2024, Edaily reported the successful completion of “Lee & Ko Friends” project, a program in which Lee & Ko attorneys and North Korean defector university students are matched one-on-one as a “Older Friend” and “Younger Friend”. The Lee & Ko Friends project, jointly run by Lee & Ko and social welfare foundation Together Goodwill’s employment support center for North Korean defectors, is a pro bono activity that helps North Korean defector university students to adapt as a healthy member of our society through daily meetings with Lee & Ko attorneys. Lee & Ko started the program as the first among domestic law firms in 2018 and completed its fourth term this year. As a successful pro bono activity model that grows and develops mutually beyond formal mentoring, the project is also leading to the participation of other law firms.