Peter & Kim

International Arbitration

Saemee Kim is a partner at Peter & Kim and is dual qualified in Korea and California. She handles a broad range of international arbitration and cross-border litigation matters, including disputes arising from energy, M&A, life sciences, telecommunications, shipping, and IP. She has represented clients in numerous arbitrations under the rules of the ICC, LCIA, HKIAC, ICDR, AAA and KCAB, as well as ad hoc arbitrations, and in cross-border litigation before courts in the U.S., France, Italy, Colombia, Cambodia, and Malaysia. She also has extensive experience acting as counsel in domestic court proceedings for both domestic and international clients. She also sits as an arbitrator.

Saemee is actively engaged in the international arbitration community. She served as Young ICCA Events Coordinator for the North Asia region (2018–2022), Young ICCA Events Co-director (2022–2024) and the Chair of the CIArb (EAB) YMG Korea Chapter (2022-2025). She currently serves as the Delegate of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR, the ICC YAAF Representative for South Korea (2024–2026 mandate), and Vice-Chair of the Women Interest Committee (KCAB
International).

She is native in Korean and fluent in English.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

International Arbitration / Cross-border litigation

INDUSTRY SECTOR

Energy
M&A
Life Science
IP & Entertainment

REPRESENTATIVE CASES

• Represented Korean energy companies agaisnt a US nuclear company in relation to a license agreement in a KCAB arbitration
• Represented a major Korean electronics company against an Austrian company in relation to a license agreement in an ICC arbitration
• Represented a major Polish manufacturing company against a Korean company in relation to a distribution agreement in a KCAB arbitration
• Represented a major Korean telecommunications company against a German company in relation to a license agreement in an ICC arbitration
• Represented a Korean pharmaceutical company against a Russian company in relation to a supply agreement in an LCIA arbitration
• Represented a major Korean biometric device manufacturer against an Indian company in an ad-hoc arbitration seated in Singapore
• Represented a major Korean cosmetic company against a US company in an AAA
  arbitration
• Represented a major Japanese pharmaceutical company against a Korean
  pharmaceutical company in an ICC arbitration
• Represented a major Korean insurance company against a Canadian company in relation to an insurance agreement in a Korea-seated ad-hoc arbitration
• Represented a major Korean power generation company against a German company in relation to a license agreement in an ICC arbitration
• Represented a major Korean power generation company against a Japanese
  manufacturer in relation to a supply agreement in a KCAB arbitration
• Represented a Korean trading company against a U.S. company in relation to a supply agreement in an ICDR arbitration

Partner, Peter & Kim (2026 – present)  Partner, Lee & Ko (2021 – 2026) Secondee, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (Singapore) (2021) Associate and Senior Associate, Lee & Ko (2013 – 2020)

Korean, English

Korean and Seoul Bar Associations Vice-Chair of the Women Interest Committee (WIC), KCAB International (2026 – Present) Delegate, ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR (2024 – Present) ICC Young Arbitration and ADR Forum (YAAF) Representative for South Korea (2024 – Present) Arbitrator for KCAB International (2022 – Present) Chair of the CIArb (EAB) YMG Korea Chapter (2022-2025) Young ICCA Events Co-director (2022 – 2024) Young ICCA Events Coordinator (2018 – 2022)

Stanford Law School (LL.M., 2020)  Judicial Research & Training Institute, Supreme Court of the Republic of Korea (2013) Korea University (LL.B., 2011)