The Legal 500

Kim & Chang’s debt capital markets practice acted for Standard Chartered Bank and BNP Paribas in a $500m covered bond issuance by Korea Housing Finance Corporation. On the equity front, it acted for Citigroup Global Markets and Hyundai Securities on Hyundai HCN’s issuance and sale of 22,000 new shares, and their listing on the KOSPI market of the Korea Exchange. Led by Kye-Sung Chung, the 22-partner team is considered one of the most knowledgeable and experienced in the Korean market, and was recently joined by Jinho Joo from Shearman & Sterling LLP.

Lee & Ko’s team, led by Wonkyu Han, attracts praise for its ‘response times, business acumen and legal knowledge’. In 2010 it acted for Korea Finance Corporation in its establishment of a A$2bn Australian debt issuance programme. Hyunjoo Oh is ‘an expert in structured corporate derivative transactions’; Geen Kim is ‘incredibly knowledgeable’; and Won Sik Cho is also recommended. The team recently hired Kwan Soo Park, who brings experience from his time at the Department of Capital Markets Investigation.

Shin & Kim’s capital markets practice acted for the lead managers and international joint bookrunners on Samsung Life Insurance’s IPO on the Korea Exchange, which was the largest Korean IPO in 2010. It also acted for the managers and bookrunners on Korea Life Insurance’s IPO on the Korea Exchange. On the debt side, it acted for Korea Housing Finance Corporation on its $250m covered bond issuance. Chang Bok Hur and Woong-Soon Song jointly head the practice.

Bae, Kim & Lee LLC is ‘superb in all aspects’, with clients reporting ‘great satisfaction with the level of legal support’. Headed by the ‘profoundly knowledgeable’ Eui Jong Chung, the team acted for Korea Exchange Bank in the KRW112bn block sale of common shares in Hynix Semiconductor, while debt highlights included acting for KEPCO in a successful offering of $700m senior unsecured 3.0% notes. Hee Gang Shin and Young-Mo Kim stand out, and were joined by Seung Hwa Hwang from Jipyong & Jisung.

Yulchon’s capital markets practice is ‘extremely dedicated and committed, with rich experience in challenging situations’. ‘Able to easily navigate the grey areas when interpreting Korean regulatory provisions’, the team is particularly visible on complex mandates with a cross-border element, such as its representation of KEXIM in its A$2bn debut in the Australian Kangaroo Bonds market. Hee Woong Yoon heads the team, with the ‘thorough, resourceful, reliable and commercially savvy’ Christopher Cho also recommended.

Hwang Mok Park P.C. advises the likes of Hyundai Capital and GE Capital in debt capital markets transactions.

Kim, Choi & Lim has a track record in securities transactions dating back to its work on the first kimchi bond transactions. Clients include Woori Investment & Securities. Sewon Kang is the key figure.

Highlights for Yoon & Yang LLC’s ‘praiseworthy’ capital markets team included acting for the sellers in a block trade of 3.4 million Mando shares to Morgan Stanley’s Seoul branch. Other clients include China Great Star and Korea Development Bank. Soonghee Lee heads the team.

Jipyong & Jisung advised Kolao Holdings in connection with its IPO on the KOSPI market, which was the first instance of a Laotian company listing on the Korean Exchange. Haeng-Gyu Lee heads the team.

Kim Chang & Lee handles debt and equity transactions for investment banks and financial institutions such as Shinhan Investment Corp. Soo Chang Kim and Kyung Joon Choi are the key figures, and were joined by Song Il An, who specialises in equity-linked bonds.

Sechang & Co. has experience in foreign IPO transactions for local clients in the maritime and natural resources sectors. HaeYeon Song and Thomas YJ Kim are the key figures.