Asialaw Profiles
The Guide to the legal markets of the Asia-Pacific

Bae Kim & Lee’s dispute resolution practice offers clients a comprehensive service that includes commercial litigation and arbitration, insurance, employment and regulatory related disputes. The firm has been working on the high-profile case around 20 type B haemophiliacs that were infected with HIV in South Korea around 1992. During that time thousands of haemophiliacs in America and Japan contracted HIV through their medication. After a couple of investigations the Korean government said that the haemophiliacs might have been infected by The Green Cross’ medicine, but the results were inconclusive. Bae Kim & Lee has been arguing the medical companies’ case before the courts.

The firm has been representing Korea Lottery Service in its dispute with Kookmin Bank. The lottery provider claimed the bank owed it a commitment fee for one month worth W19 billion. The firm successfully represented KLS. Bae Kim & Lee has been kept busy by Yang Ho Byeon, a former general director for the Finance Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Korea, who was charged with the misappropriation in the course of business and for committing bribery in two separate cases. Young-Bo Noh is the standout name practicing at the firm, and is backed up by Soon Ik Kwon and Kyung Nam Ko.

Kim & Chang has a litigation and arbitration practice that ranks as one of the best in the country. The firm has a long-standing expertise in complex, diverse and large scale disputes and frequently handles high-profile cases. Practitioners in this group bring a wealth of experience and knowledge of procedural laws and precedents and advise clients on a range of litigations including public law and constitutional, antitrust and competition, banking and finance, M&A, labour and employment, shipping, media and white collar crimes, among others. Key partners part of the group are Byung Chol Yoon, Jin Yeong Chung and Eun Yong Park. The latter is a noted arbitrator and a member of the ICC Arbitration Committee for Korea.

A recent noteworthy achievement for the team was in successfully defending nine Korean banks in a complicated export litigation. The lawsuit was heard before a California State Court, involved numerous claims and cross-claims worth other US$100 million and lasted for over six years. Another current prominent representation is for Lone Star Funds in several key litigations before the Korea Courts. One of these cases is criminal related to charges of stock price manipulation in connection with KEB’s merger with KEB Credit Service.

Hwang Mok Park provides a well-regarded litigation practice that works on a spectrum of cases involving civil, commercial, criminal, family, trade antitrust, tax, labour, IP, insurance and maritime law. The integrated team counts leading foreign multinationals like AGB Nielsen and small to medium-sized domestic businesses as clients. The group’s practitioners include leading names Zin Hwan Kim, Ju Myung Hwang and Woo Young Choi.

Lee & Co has a good track record in dispute resolution across disparate practice areas like M&A, banking and finance, and intellectual property. One finance dispute has seen the firm represent Resolution and Finance Corporation against LSF-KDIC Investment Company, registered in Bermuda, which has brought a case against the firm’s client for alleged breach of contract. The Bermudan company is looking for $25 million for breach of bond repayments and distribution of dividends.

Another case up before the International Court of Arbitration (ICC) sees Lee & Co representing Dong A Pharmaceuticals against Stryker Corporation. Lee & Co’s client is claiming compensation and unpaid incentives coming from a distribution agreement between the two companies being terminated. The company is looking for US$14.2 million. The Samsung Corporation is using the firm in its ICC case brought by Dredging Maritime Management (DMM) due to huge taxes being placed on the company in relation to work for the corporation. DMM is looking for W25 billion. Sungwoo (Sean) Lim is the able leader of the department, and he can call on the likes of Yong Suk Yoon and Won Seok Ko.

Shin & Kim’s dispute resolution practice wins accolades for its litigation expertise. The group focuses on a broad range of domestic and international disputes related to a host of varying areas of law from tax, antitrust, labour and real estate to intellectual property, product liability and international arbitration. Clients of the team include Samsung, SK Corporation, Ssanyong, Woori Financial Group and Korea Development Bank. Lawyers Beomsu Kim, Doo-Sik Kim, Sin-Seob Kang, Joonho Lim, Jaw Doo Shin, Jong-Han Oh and Ghyo-Sun Park form part of the noted team.

The litigation and arbitration practice at Yoon Yang Kim Shin & Yu provides a full range of advice on handling a range of disputes. Its coverage includes cases related to international litigation, arbitration, civil litigation, family law, medical law, tax, trusts and provisional remedies. Its group is growing and has developed a reputation for its excellence in domestic litigations. Key figures within the group include Jay Lee and Sam-Sung Yang among others. The firm’s cross-border experience is expanding with foreign-trained attorneys on the team who have a solid knowledge of foreign legal systems along with premier domestic practitioners who know the local law.

Yulchon can boast of a good Asian pedigree having worked on cases in Korea, Singapore and Kazakhstan. One case in Almaty, Kazakhstan saw Yulchon represent Sambu Construction in a dispute over a management right. Young Seok Lee heads the department at the firm. Other notable lawyers include Hyung Jin Kim and Il Young Han.

Barun Law is a full-service firm that is most known for its litigation and arbitration excellence. Housing former judges and prosecutors, the firm’s domestic and international experience is dominant and the group covers a range of cases related to antitrust, white-collar crime, insolvency proceedings, real estate, labour, tax, international arbitration, insurance, product liability and securities, among others.

The firm celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, being founded in 1998 by three well-known former judges. Jae Ho Kim is a leading figure of the practice and last year it welcomed six high-level former judges and prosecutors to the team.

Jisung Horizon has a top quality litigation and arbitration practice that is led by Ho-Won Lee, Dong-Young Park and Yong-Hwan Cho. Other notable lawyers include civil litigation specialist Sung-Jin Bae and arbitration expert Gee-Hong Kim. Representative clients of the group are Posco, Mirae Asset Securities and Samsung Life Insurance. A recent highlight case for the team was advising the Republic of Korea in a suit brought on by Korea Lottery Service. The plaintiff is alleging the lottery commission charged by the government is too excessive. The case is currently pending in the Supreme Court and claims are totalled at W600 billion.

Kim Chang & Lee has been an active player in the dispute resolution and litigation sphere with a long history of representing leading clients in complex cases. Its legal range spanning a spectrum of industries from labour and employment, IP and product liability to antitrust, banking and corporate, the firm has been successful in numerous high profile cases in recent history. A number of its lawyers are former judges. Prominent examples of the firm’s case history include being involved in Coca Cola’s trade mark dispute against Lotte Chilsung in relation to the Sprite trade mark and managing a dispute between Hyundai Space & Aircraft and Boeing company in relation to the production and delivery of aircraft wings. Leading lawyer Ihl-Pyo Hong is part of the team.

The dispute resolution practice at Kim Choi & Lim spans four categories: litigation, arbitration, international litigation and arbitration, and injunction and enforcement. Yongjick Kim heads up the practice and its cast includes several former high-level judges. On the domestic side, the firm offers services on a variety of proceedings from civil, administrative and criminal to those related to issues involving tax, fair trade, labour law, intellectual property and securities and exchange. For international cases, its team works with clients on negotiations, strategies, arbitrations and effective alternative resolutions.