Dentons Lee > Seoul, South Korea > Firm Profile

Dentons Lee
14F, POONGSAN BLDG.
23 CHUNGJEONG-RO SEODAEMUN-GU
SEOUL, 03737
03737
South Korea

South Korea > Dispute resolution: local firms Tier 3

Dentons Lee is renowned for its strength in cross-border disputes, representing clients across South Korea, the Asia-Pacific, Europe, the UK, and the US. The team’s deep industry expertise enhances its capability in diverse sectors. John JungKyum Kim, co-leading the practice, is a key figure with a focus on insurance, manufacturing, real estate, and financial services. Also co-leading the practice is Kurt B. Gerstner, who brings extensive experience in civil litigation and international arbitration, handling complex disputes across various industries.

Practice head(s):

John JungKyum Kim; Kurt B. Gerstner

Other key lawyers:

Hee-Jun Choi; Peter Seung-Hoon Lee; Christina Jiwon Park; Joo-Hyung Lee; Seung-Hun Lee

Key clients

Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE, Korea Branch

Ascend Performance Materials, Inc.

Work highlights

  • Reinsurance defence services in South Korean court for lithium-ion battery product recall in electric vehicles with global exposure.
  • Co-counsel in the International Chamber of Commerce for breach of contract and unfair trade practices in trading of chemical and plastic industrial materials.
  • Acing as coverage and subrogation counsel for Starr International in the tragic accident involving South Korean nationals in the collision of two large boats travelling on the Danube River in Hungary, leading to insurance coverage matters that implicate the reinsurance as offered by Starr International.

South Korea > Real estate: local firms Tier 4

Dentons Lee‘s real estate team advises on inbound and outbound investments, development, trust establishment, tax, and litigation. It primarily advises domestic institutional investors on cross-border real estate investments into North America and Europe, collaborating closely with Dentons’ global network. The team also assists Western and Asian investors with co-investments into logistics, data centres, hotels, and multi-family developments in Korea. Led by foreign lawyer Timothy Trinka, who focuses on construction, financing, and development, the team also includes Hye In Jin, known for her expertise in large-scale commercial real estate projects.

Practice head(s):

Timothy Trinka

Other key lawyers:

John Kim; Hye In Jin

Testimonials

‘Good international thinking.’

‘Smart and responsive.’

Key clients

Hangang Asset Management

Lotte Hotel and Resorts

Therme Group Korea

DL E&C Co., Ltd. a/k/a Daelim

MH Champagnes and Wines Korea, Ltd.

Bulgari Korea Limited

Tiffany Korea Co., Ltd.

Work highlights

  • Provided legal and regulatory advice along with finance and tax considerations and support for the initial structure for the Therme Korea (Incheon) Project, which involves the development of a luxury resort located at the Golden Harbor location of Incheon.
  • Provided legal and regulatory advice and support in connection with the Osan Sema District 1st Urban Development Project.
  • Provided legal advice and support on a regular and re-occurring basis regarding review/modification and negotiation of real estate contracts with respect to the business of MH Korea.

South Korea > Insurance: local firms

The insurance and reinsurance team at Dentons Lee, co-led by John JungKyum Kim and Christina Jiwon Park, continues to expand and develop a comprehensive insurance practice with significant international capabilities.

Dentons Lee, a premier full-service law firm in Korea, has been a trusted advisor to international and local clients since 1961. Originally renowned for our expertise in intellectual property, Dentons Lee has expanded to meet the complex demands of today’s global economy, offering comprehensive legal services across corporate, finance, government relations, intellectual property, white-collar crime, labor, customs, and international trade and investment.

Global Reach, Local Insight

With approximately 80% of our clients hailing from the United States, Europe, and Japan—including numerous Fortune 100 companies—Dentons Lee has earned a reputation as the go-to legal advisor for multinational corporations and government agencies navigating Korea’s legal landscape. Our expertise spans intricate cross-border transactions and complex dispute resolution, both in Korea and internationally.

Our Elite Team of Professionals

Dentons Lee’s team consists of highly qualified Korean and foreign-licensed attorneys, accountants, and consultants, many of whom hold credentials from top global institutions and extensive training in jurisdictions across the United States, Europe, Singapore, and Japan. Our senior attorneys include former high-ranking officials such as a Senior Judge of the Seoul District Court, a Chief Prosecutor, and directors from pivotal government agencies.

Department Name Email Telephone
Chief Managing Attorney Heejun Choi [email protected] +82 2 2262 6021
Chair of Global Board Nicholas Howon Park [email protected] +82 2 2262 6013
Photo Name Position Profile
Dayoun  Joung photo Dayoun Joung Certified Labor Attorney, Korea
Jacob H. Cho photo Jacob H. Cho Attorney (Admitted to Singapore Bar)
Young-Soo Choi photo Young-Soo Choi Senior Attorney
Seon-Ae Choi  photo Seon-Ae Choi Senior Attorney (Admitted to the bar, State of New York) Senior Attorney…
Kurt B. Gerstner photo Kurt B. Gerstner Senior Attorney Admitted to New York, Massachusetts and DC Bars
Hailey Hye-In Jin photo Hailey Hye-In Jin Senior Attorney
 Sung-Eun Stephan Kim photo Sung-Eun Stephan Kim Senior Attorney (Admitted to New York and New Jersey Bars)
John JungKyum Kim photo John JungKyum Kim Senior Attorney (Admitted to New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Bars)
Eunjee Kim photo Eunjee Kim Senior Attorney (Admitted to the bar, California) Certified Labor Attorney, Korea Senior…
 Peter Seung-Hun Lee photo Peter Seung-Hun Lee Senior Attorney
Nguyen Hoang Tuan Linh photo Nguyen Hoang Tuan Linh Foreign Legal Specialist
Nicholas H. Park photo Nicholas H. Park Chair of Global Board And Senior Managing Attorney (Admitted to District of…
 Christina Jiwon Park photo Christina Jiwon Park Senior Attorney
Sung-Duck Park photo Sung-Duck Park Senior Managing Attorney
Kwang-Chun Park photo Kwang-Chun Park Senior Attorney
Sam-Bun Song photo Sam-Bun Song Consultant (Certified Labor Attorney, Korea) Licensed Real Estate Broker Certified Administrative Agent
Myoung-Ho Song photo Myoung-Ho Song Senior Attorney
Weon-Jae Yang photo Weon-Jae Yang Senior Attorney
Soye Yoon photo Soye Yoon Attorney
Korean
English

CLIENT: Min-Seong Kim, managing director
COMPANY/FIRM: HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering
TESTIMONIAL:
I believe the advantages and reasons for recommending Dentons Lee’s Labor Team are as follows:
• Dentons Lee’s Labor Team comprises partner-level attorneys with outstanding skills from three of the largest Korean law firms who have come together to form a new team. Their members’ abilities and expertise are undeniably excellent.
• The strengths of Dentons Lee’s Labor Team include:
– Combining the expertise of major law firms with cost-effective billing, significantly reducing the burden on clients.
– All team members possess a client-friendly attitude and provide the best solutions by considering various perspectives on client inquiries. Dentons Lee’s Labor Team is particularly responsive and diligent in handling urgent matters, which is immensely helpful for the company’s emergency operations.
– Using their international law firm infrastructure, they can efficiently conduct labor-related consultations for overseas corporations.

CLIENT: Hyung-Cheol Moon, managing director
COMPANY/FIRM: Hyundai Doosan Infracore
TESTIMONIAL:
In my opinion, Dentons Lee’s Labor Team excels at providing practical advice based on a deep understanding of the client’s industry, which can be applied in real-world situations. Furthermore, their robust network enables them to provide timely counsel wherever issues may arise, in line with the client’s global footprint – a unique advantage that sets Dentons Lee’s Labor Team apart from other Korean law firms.

CLIENT: Il-Haeng Park, team leader
COMPANY/FIRM: Lotte Fine Chemical
TESTIMONIAL:
Regarding the advantages and reasons for recommending Dentons Lee, I would like to comment as follows:
– Dentons Lee’s Labor Team (Yong-Moon Kim, Esq.) provided accurate and genuinely helpful advice on labor-related issues, including worker dispatch, working hours, wages, wage peak systems, and labor union laws. The team demonstrated a profound understanding of the law, including recent case trends, and extensive practical experience.
– Dentons Lee’s Labor Team (Yong-Moon Kim, Esq.) efficiently and effectively responded to client requests, promptly executing necessary legal actions, providing timely consultation responses, and communicating from the client’s perspective. This elevated legal response capabilities to a higher level.

CLIENT: Hyun-Jin Kim, team leader
COMPANY/FIRM: Hotel Lotte
TESTIMONIAL:
Dentons Lee’s Labor Team quickly offers the best solutions for resolving company issues, based on their legal knowledge and know-how in HR/labor matters accumulated through extensive practical experience.

CLIENT: Kyung-Oh Nam, team leader
COMPANY/FIRM: Lotte Chemical
TESTIMONIAL:
Dentons Lee’s Labor Team provides substantial solutions based on excellent teamwork, legal knowledge of labor-related issues, and a wealth of practical experience. They not only address post-issue resolution but also adopt a systematic approach to pre-issue dispute prevention, instilling confidence in their clients. Dentons Lee’s Labor Team continuously communicates with clients to establish a reasonable labor relationship and proactively identifies issues. In particular, Yong-Moon Kim, Esq. demonstrates strong problem-solving skills based on his unique and amicable leadership style, and accurately grasps the core needs of clients.

CLIENT: Byung-Gil Oh, managing director
COMPANY/FIRM: EY Korea
TESTIMONIAL:
Yong-Moon Kim, Esq. offers timely solutions for clients based on his extensive experience in labor-related matters for large corporations and socially relevant issues. Drawing on his ILO training experience, he delivers services utilizing his distinct expertise, knowledge, and network compared to competitors.

CLIENT: Sang-Hyun Baek, director
COMPANY/FIRM: MIRAE ASSET SECURITIES
TESTIMONIAL:
Dentons Lee’s Labor Team consists of attorneys with outstanding expertise in labor law, displaying comprehensive understanding and knowledge of labor-related issues and the overall industry. Their extensive experience in litigation and consultation enables them to provide tailor-made legal solutions for clients’ specific needs.
They consistently offer prompt and precise feedback on urgent client requests, delivering well-rounded legal advice after evaluating various possibilities. Their assistance has proven invaluable in our work. Thanks to their meticulous attention, we have achieved favorable results in litigation cases entrusted to them, and we intend to continue seeking their services for future litigation and consultation cases.
Dentons Lee’s global network as a law firm is one of its significant strengths, providing coverage for labor-related matters as well as M&A and cross-border deals. Their holistic and integrated approach, considering various possibilities instead of providing limited legal counsel in specific areas, is highly commendable.

CLIENT: Kyu-Hyun Kim, team leader
COMPANY/FIRM: Hyundai Transyst
TESTIMONIAL:
Dentons Lee’s Labor Team, drawing on their rich practical experience, has successfully managed and won positive court decisions in key labor cases. They maintain seamless communication with clients and consistently offer proactive and effective legal opinions.

CLIENT: Hyun-Joo Kim, labor attorney
COMPANY/FIRM: YTN
TESTIMONIAL:
Dentons Lee’s Labor Team excels at pinpointing clients’ needs and adeptly handling cases in response. They are widely regarded as possessing unrivaled expertise in the domestic labor field, consistently delivering satisfactory results in all cases entrusted to them.

CLIENT: Young-Seop Lee, assistant manager
COMPANY/FIRM: Korea University Medicine
TESTIMONIAL:
Comprised of attorneys and certified labor attorneys with specialized knowledge and experience in labor law and worker protection-related fields, Dentons Lee’s Labor Team is well-equipped to provide expert legal advice on a wide range of labor matters. With attorneys experienced in handling hospital labor lawsuits and cases under Serious Accident Punishment Act (“SAPA”), the team exhibits a deep understanding of the complexities and nuances of hospital workplace issues, facilitating swift and accurate case resolutions.

CLIENT: Eoh, Kenny
COMPANY/FIRM: Woori Global Asset Management
TESTIMONIAL:
I find the Dentons Lee Banking and Finance attorneys to be worthy professionals who have been working over decades with integrity and skill. They have the expertise to deliver what the client wants.

CLIENT: Du-Hee, Jung
COMPANY/FIRM: Alpha Asset Management
TESTIMONIAL:
Banking and Finance attorneys at Dentons Lee are dedicated professionals with deep knowledge and expertise in the energy field. Their professional legal advice helped us to carry out our projects smoothly.

CLIENT: Jaemin, Son
COMPANY/FIRM: UNO Equity Partners
TESTIMONIAL:
We have been receiving legal advice from Banking and Finance attorneys at Dentons Lee for over 3 years. Without exception, they are always friendly but professional. They are really passionate and experienced lawyers who have a sense of responsibility. To us as a client, they are professionals we can trust and work with.

 


REAL ESTATE
• Advised Hangang AMC in connection with its acquisition and January 2022 closing on an Amazon leased fulfilment centre in Ottawa, Canada, for $494 MM CAD, the largest real estate investment ever made by Korean investors into Canada.
• Advised Lotte Hotels and Resorts on the acquisition and January 2022 closing on the Kimpton Hotel Monaco, in Chicago, for approximately USD 36 million including the joint venture with a Korean government entity structured for a Delaware LLC.
• Advised Mapletree Investments and its affiliates on the acquisition of warehouses in Seoul metropolitan area including due diligence and preparation of purchase agreements under a tax-sparing special purpose vehicle structure with a transaction value of approximately $30 MM USD.

CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENTS
• Advised a leading Korean construction company on the planning and construction of the landmark Lotte World Tower which now stands as the tallest building in Asia (123 stories).
• Acted as legal counsel for the construction of a multi-billion dollar factory for a large Korean conglomerate.
• Served as legal counsel on engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract involving wind turbines, PV stations, and the establishment of a power plant facility for a Korean alternative renewable energy company.

LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
• Provided legal advice and managed litigation across a full spectrum of employment and labor-related issues.
• Defended numerous matters on individual labour relations such as the legal status of employees, hiring, dismissal, disciplinary actions, personnel orders, performance management, restructuring, wages, severance pay, fixed-term work, temporary agency work, other non-regular work, discrimination, women’s protection and changes in labour relations due to mergers; numerous matters on collective labor relations such as establishment and operation of labour union, collective bargaining, union activities, strike actions, unfair labour acts, dealing with labour unions in mergers and acquisitions, and the establishment and operation of labour-management council.
• Defended clients in civil, criminal, and administrative actions in the field of labour and employment, including industrial safety, serious accidents, and ESG issues.
• Assisted management of client in responding to investigations conducted by investigative and supervisory agencies, disputes before the Labour Relations Commission and other comparable disputes.
• Rendered consulting services as to the improvement of related systems and practices in preparation for implementation of the revised Occupational Safety and Health Act and the newly-enacted Serious Accidents Act

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
• Acted as plaintiff’s counsel seeking relief to curtail the infringement of a circuit bonding film patent (Hitachi Gaiseigogyo v. LG Cable & System).
• Acted as litigation counsel for a patent infringement of a certain production method of polysilicon (Wacker Chemie v. OCI).
• Represented Inter IKEA in a lawsuit involving trademark infringement, unfair competition and domain name disputes with respect to the “IKEA” trademark.
• Handled the trademark registration and a crack-down on counterfeit goods of Supreme and Christian Louboutin.

CAPITAL MARKETS
• Advised SillaJen, Inc. (“SillaJen”) in responding to a substantive examination by the Korea Exchange to determine SillaJen’s eligibility to remain listed on the Korea Exchange.

INSURANCE & REINSURANCE
• Act as insurance and reinsurance coverage counsel on behalf of excess reinsurers including AIG Korea, Liberty International and Chubb Singapore on the Lotte Chem factory explosion in Daesan, South Korea occurring in March of 2020 with property damage impact on the neighbouring LG Chem factory for property and casualty losses including personal injuries.
• Negotiate, draft and assist leading global financial lines insurer based in Bermuda in connection with the commutation of the entire South Korean insurance book of business with a South Korean insurer to solidify the financial statements of the client.
• Advise a French re/insurer licensed in Singapore in a product recall coverage matter over alleged defective lithium ion batteries with global exposure related to Ford, BMW, Audi, etc. which may subsequently be in litigation in the South Korean courts.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION
• Act as coverage counsel and subsequently as litigation defence counsel in a product recall claim for alleged lithium ion batteries manufactured by LG Energy Solutions supplied in Hyundai Kona electric vehicles sold to the public in the U.S., Europe, China, South Korea and other countries/regions; the dispute is on-going in the Seoul Central District Court in the Republic of Korea.
• Preparing to commence a collection matter in arbitration against High Hope as a Chinese trading company on behalf of J.F. Weston as the client vessel owner on a cross-border basis involving Russia and South Korea under English law.