Chul-Won Lee > Kim & Chang > Seoul, South Korea > Lawyer Profile
Kim & Chang Offices

39 SAJIK-RO 8-GIL
JONGNO-GU
SEOUL 03170
South Korea
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Chul-Won Lee

Work Department
Litigation; International Arbitration & Cross-Border Litigation; Maritime; Shipping Litigation; Insolvency & Restructuring; Europe; Insurance Litigation
Career
Chul-Won Lee is an attorney in Kim & Chang’s International Arbitration & Cross-Border Litigation Practice, Litigation Practice, Shipping Practice, and Insolvency & Restructuring Practice. He regularly advises clients from Europe and in the shipping industry.
Mr. Lee represents diverse clients from various jurisdictions in international arbitration proceedings under the rules of the ICC, LCIA, LMAA, SIAC, AAA and KCAB on matters involving post-M&A disputes, shipbuilding, shipping, international trade, reinsurance and general contractual disputes.
He has extensive experience in a wide range of shipping laws, including those regarding maritime and environmental casualties, charterparty and bills of lading disputes and shipbuilding disputes. He is experienced with the arrest of a vessel or lifting the arrest of a vessel, as well as the public sale of a vessel in Korea and in a foreign jurisdiction. He has also advised Korean shipowners and shipbuilders on rehabilitation proceedings.
Furthermore, he has been involved in complicated cross-border litigation involving product liability cases. He has represented a tobacco company in defending health care cost recovery action before a Korean court, and has successfully defended international seed companies for several product liability cases.
Prior to joining Kim & Chang, Mr. Lee served as a judge in the Seoul Central District Court and the Seoul Southern District Court from 2002 to 2006. He also worked in the London office of Addleshaw Goddard from 2011 to 2012 and the London office of Holman Fenwick Willan in 2011.
Mr. Lee is actively engaged in academic activities. He was appointed as the director of international affairs of the Korean Maritime Law Association, Korean Insurance Law Association and Korean Private International Law Association. He is a frequent speaker at seminars involving issues on shipping, shipbuilding, insurance and international arbitration.
Mr. Lee received an LL.M. from University College London in 2011 and from the Graduate School of Law, Seoul National University in 2006. He received his LL.B. from the College of Law, Seoul National University in 1997, and attended the Judicial Research and Training Institute of the Supreme Court of Korea in 1999. Mr. Lee is admitted to the Korean bar and is admitted to practice in England and Wales.
Languages
Korean, English and Japanese
Memberships
Admitted to bar, Korea, 1999
Solicitor, Admitted to practice in England & Wales, 2012
Education
University College London (LL.M., 2011)
Graduate School of Law, Seoul National University (LL.M., 2006)
Judicial Research and Training Institute of the Supreme Court of Korea (1999)
Seoul National University (LL.B., 1997)
Lawyer Rankings
South Korea > International arbitration
The ‘top-notch‘ practice at Kim & Chang is led by Byung-Chol Yoon, who is recommended for his extensive expertise in ICC and investment treaty arbitrations. The ‘stellar‘ Sae Youn Kim is a ‘first class advocate‘ known for representing Korean clients in SIMC mediations with her strong focus on international and commercial law issues. Chul-Won Lee has broad knowledge of LMAA and KCAB arbitrations, often representing Korean clients within the pharmaceutical and logistics sectors, while Joel Richardson leads the firm’s North American arbitration group, often acting as an arbitrator and a mediator. Matthew Christensen is well-versed in commercial disputes and cases involving international defense and construction projects, and Shul Park primarily focuses on transactional disputes relating to joint ventures and insurance.
South Korea > Shipping: local firms
(Leading partners)Kim & Chang’s practice, led by Byung-Suk Chung, offers extensive expertise in shipping, shipbuilding, insurance, and international trade, along with related international arbitration and litigation. The team represents both domestic and international shipowners, as well as their respective P&I clubs and insurers. Its full-service capabilities encompass marine casualties, shipbuilding disputes, regulatory advice, insolvency, enforcement actions, and marine insurance. Chul-Won Lee brings wide-ranging experience in maritime law, including vessel arrest and shipbuilding matters. Jae Bok Lee covers charterparty disputes, as well as offering an expanding ship finance practice. Joon Hwan Park handles major maritime incidents in Korean waters and international disputes. Na-Rae Kim and Sang-Hyup Lee were recently promoted to the partnership.
South Korea > Dispute resolution: local firms
(Leading partners)Kim & Chang’s top-tier litigation practice is recognised for its expertise across civil disputes, administrative litigation, antitrust, M&A, and white-collar crime. The team, led by prominent litigators Sang Ho Han and Jin Yeong Chung, includes former judge Chang Hoon Baek and senior attorney Seok Beom Hong, both highly regarded for their work in criminal and civil cases, often representing major Korean corporations. Former judge Yong Sang Kim is a standout in real estate and administrative litigation, frequently handling shareholder disputes. Chul-Won Lee has extensive experience in a wide range of shipping laws, including those regarding maritime and environmental casualties, charter party and bills of lading disputes, and shipbuilding disputes.
Asia Pacific: Regional International Arbitration > Leading firms
The international arbitration team of Korean firm Kim & Chang is led by Byung-Chol Yoon, who is recommended for his extensive expertise in ICC and investment treaty arbitrations. Sae Youn Kim is a ‘first-class advocate‘ known for representing Korean clients in Singapore-based disputes, while Chul-Won Lee has a track record of pharma and maritime disputes. Joel Richardson leads the firm’s North American arbitration group, often acting as an arbitrator and a mediator. Matthew Christensen is well-versed in commercial disputes and cases involving international defence and construction projects, and Shul Park has handled a number of notable M&A disputes. While the firm’s centre of gravity is in the firm’s Seoul headquarters, the firm also has outposts in Singapore, Jakarta and both major cities in Vietnam.
Lawyer Rankings
- Dispute resolution: local firms South Korea
- International arbitration South Korea
- Leading partners South Korea > Shipping: local firms
- Leading partners South Korea > Dispute resolution: local firms
- Shipping: local firms South Korea
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Antitrust and competition: local firms
- Banking and finance: local firms
- Capital markets: local firms
- Corporate and M&A: local firms
- Dispute resolution: local firms
- Fintech and financial services regulatory: local firms
- Insurance: local firms
- Intellectual property: local firms
- International arbitration
- Labour and employment: local firms
- Projects and energy: local firms
- Real estate: local firms
- Regulatory: white-collar, compliance and investigations: local firms
- Shipping: local firms
- Tax: local firms
- TMT: local firms