The Legal 500

Within Antitrust and competition, Kim & Chang is a first tier firm,

Kim & Chang provides ‘first-class representation that is conversant and responsive’. 2010 saw it act for LG Household & Healthcare Ltd to obtain clearance from the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) for its acquisition of Haitai Beverage Co; and defend several airlines in the KFTC’s largest international cartel investigation to date, into the alleged price fixing of air cargo rates. The 18-partner team was strengthened by the arrival of former judge Hyunjong Lee. The ‘knowledgeable’ Sungjoo Yoon, practice head and ‘outstanding leader’ KT Jung, and Jay Ahn, who is ‘a pleasure to work with’, are all recommended.

Within Banking and finance, Kim & Chang is a first tier firm,

Kim & Chang’s heavyweight finance practice has a global clientele that includes Crédit Agricole and Hanjin Shipping. It has been particularly active for Korea Development Bank, advising it in a $133.7m shipping finance deal for Glovis. It also acted for Oriental Brewery Co on the refinancing of KKR and Affinity’s acquisition of the major Asian brewery from Anheuser-Busch InBev. Team head Kye-Sung Chung comes highly recommended.

Within Capital markets, Kim & Chang is a first tier firm,

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.

Within Corporate and M&A, Kim & Chang is a first tier firm,

Kim & Chang is a dominant force in the market. Clients include domestic giants Hyundai and POSCO; it acted for the latter in its acquisition of 68% of the common stock of Daewoo International Corporation for KRW3.4 trillion. It also advised Korea National Oil Corporation on its £1bn-plus acquisition of Dana Petroleum, marking the first instance of a Korean corporation successfully acquiring a foreign corporation by way of a hostile takeover. KT Jung leads the team, which includes some 70 corporate and commercial partners, making it one of the largest in South Korea.

Within Dispute resolution, Kim & Chang is a first tier firm,

Kim & Chang has ‘exceptional knowledge of Korean law and international arbitration law’, and provides advice that is ‘always tailored appropriately to achieve the right balance between the law and the commercial issues’. Highlights included representing a major Korean pharmaceuticals company in a successful defence against the first asbestos-related multi-plaintiff action in Korea. Sang Ho Han heads the commercial litigation team, with Byung-Chol Yoon leading an international arbitration practice that includes Eun Young Park and Kyo-Hwa Chung, ‘who all provide very high levels of service and high-quality legal advice’. John Rhie is ‘unbelievably hardworking’.

Within Employment, Kim & Chang is a first tier firm,

Kim & Chang is considered a go-to firm for employment law matters, fielding a 20-strong team that provides advice to foreign and Korean multinationals including Hyundai, Standard Chartered First Bank Korea, and ING Life Insurance. Chun Wook Hyun leads the team, which was strengthened by the arrival of several senior consultants from Deloitte.

Within Insurance, Kim & Chang is a first tier firm,

Kim & Chang has been heavily involved in transactional mandates relating to the insurance industry; it acted for New York Life International on the sale of its Korean subsidiary to ACE INA Holdings, and for VOGO Asset Management in its acquisition of a 44% stake in TongYang Life Insurance for KRW480bn. It also acted for Mirae Asset Life Insurance and ING Life Insurance in the Korea Fair Trade Commission’s investigation into unfair trade practices relating to policy loans. Jay Ahn leads the team, and Woong Park, Young Hwa Paik and Kevin Todd are also recommended.

Within Intellectual property, Kim & Chang is a first tier firm,

Kim & Chang has an ‘extremely knowledgeable’ IP team that provides ‘exceptional service and terrific advice on both procedural and substantive matters’. More than 220 attorneys, patent attorneys and trade mark attorneys make up one of the largest practices in South Korea, servicing the patent and trade mark portfolios of multinational clients. Managing partner Jay Young-June Yang leads the team, with Peter K Paik recommended for his ability to ‘communicate actions clearly’. In Hwan Kim, Sang-Wook Han, and Duck Soon Chang all provide ‘exceptional substantive and strategic advice’.

Within Intellectual property: patents and trade marks, Kim & Chang is a first tier firm,

Kim & Chang has a dominant market position, with a large team of lawyers specialising in patent and trade mark litigation. In 2010 it acted in a number of patent infringement cases for pharmaceuticals and electronics companies, both domestic and foreign. Managing partner Jay Young-June Yang heads the team.

Within Legal market overview,

Kim & Chang, Shin & Kim, Lee & Ko, Bae, Kim & Lee LLC and Yulchon are the major domestic firms.

Within Projects and energy, Kim & Chang is a first tier firm,

Yon Kyun Oh leads a team of project finance specialists at Kim & Chang who act for energy clients ranging from importers and distributors to project developers and consultants, investment companies and government institutions. In 2010, the team acted for KEPCO and the Korean government in negotiating an inter-governmental agreement with the Republic of Turkey to develop, construct and operate a nuclear power plant in Sinop, Turkey, utilising a Korean-type nuclear reactor.

Within Real estate, Kim & Chang is a first tier firm,

Kim & Chang’s specialist real estate and construction team has seen an active deal flow in a flat Korean market. It acted for Deutsche Asset Management (Korea) in its KRW142bn acquisition of Prime Tower, and for PS KORIF Private Placement Real Estate Fund no. 8 in its acquisition of a shopping mall complex in Seoul. Yon Kyun Oh heads the team.

Within Shipping, Kim & Chang is a first tier firm,

Kim & Chang handles both dry and wet claims for a number of shipowners and P&I clubs. It also advises on shipping finance matters, most recently acting for Korea Development Bank on the financing of three newbuilds for Glovis with a combined value of $133.7m. Byung-Suk Chung is the key figure.

Within TMT, Kim & Chang is a first tier firm,

Kim & Chang’s preeminent TMT practice acts for most of the major Korean telecoms and media companies on contentious and non-contentious matters. Highlights included acting for LG Uplus in defending civil claims brought by individuals alleging misuse of personal data; and advising Sony Pictures Entertainment on a KRW1bn joint venture with a major Korean CATV operator. Dong Shik Choi leads the practice.

Within Tax, Kim & Chang is a first tier firm,

Kim & Chang’s dedicated tax group was further strengthened in 2010 by a number of new arrivals, at partner and associate level, from Ernst & Young and Deloitte. It handles tax planning and contentious matters for a wide array of Korean and foreign entities, including recently advising Kookmin School Foundation in a successful VAT claim against the Korean tax authority. Woo Hyun Baik leads a 29-partner team.