Dentons Lee > Seoul, South Korea > Firm Profile

Dentons Lee Offices

Dentons Lee
14F, POONGSAN BLDG.
23 CHUNGJEONG-RO SEODAEMUN-GU
SEOUL, 03737
03737
South Korea
Visit website +82 2 2262 6000 +82 2 2279 5020

Dentons Lee > The Legal 500 Rankings

South Korea > Labour and employment: local firms Tier 3

Dentons Lee's labour and employment practice assists a client base of domestic and international companies with a range of contentious and non-contentious matters. Practice head Yong-Moon Kim advises on corporate restructuring, individual employment matters, and cases of alleged workplace discrimination and harassment. Senior associates Yo-Sub Shim and Si-Won Lee assist corporate entities with HR matters, particularly on work concerning the Labour Standards Act and the Dispatch Act. Hye-In Kim is also recommended.

Practice head(s):

Yong-Moon Kim

Other key lawyers:

Yo-Sub Shim; Si-Won Lee; Hye-In Kim

Key clients

Hyundai Heavy Industry

Hyundai Steel

Hotel Lotte Group

Ikea Korea

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power

Mirae Asset

Ildong Pharmaceutical

Sampyo Cement

Korea University Medicine

SPC GFS

South Korea > Real estate: local firms Tier 4

With demonstrable experience in outbound and inbound real estate investments, trust establishments and property litigation, Dentons Lee is well-placed to handle a broad range of contentious mandates. The practice is co-led by Timothy Trinka and senior managing attorney Ghil-Won Jo, both of whom handle matters concerning the disposition and leasing of real property, real estate developments and project financings, as well as cross-border acquisitions. Corporate specialist Sung-Eun Stephan Kim is another key contact in the group.

Practice head(s):

Timothy Trinka; Ghil Won Jo

Other key lawyers:

Sung-Eun Stephan Kim

Key clients

Hangang Asset Management

Lotte Hotel and Resorts

South Korea > Insurance: local firms

The insurance and reinsurance team at Dentons Lee was established in February 2023 with the arrival of team co-heads John JungKyum Kim from Shin & Kim, and Christina Jiwon Park from Korean Re.

Dentons Lee > Firm Profile

As one of South Korea’s law firms with a long tradition, Dentons Lee’s practice has continuously grown and expanded to meet the evolving needs of domestic and international clients. Dentons Lee (formerly, Lee International law office) offers a full range of legal services applicable to modern international business

Dentons Lee understands technology like no other law firm and it uses that understanding and the experience of its seasoned professionals, a team of former judges, prosecutors, senior foreign professionals, supported by a large number of professionals who were former judicial law clerks and advisors to protect and promote the interests of its clients in Korea and abroad.

Additionally, Dentons Lee possesses the legal firepower needed to handle the broad range of legal services entrusted to the firm by the many Korean chaebols and multinational conglomerates who comprise its global Fortune 100 company clients. In 2020, global law firm Dentons and South Korea-based Lee International are forging business partnership to provide legal services under a new name of Dentons Lee.

Main Contacts

Department Name Email Telephone
Senior Managing Attorney Ghil-Won Jo ghilwon.jo@dentons.com +82 2 2262 6068
Senior Managing Attorney Nicholas Howon Park nicholas.park@dentons.com +82 2 2262 6013

Meet The Team(s)

Lawyer Profiles

Photo Name Position Profile
Young-Soo Choi photo Young-Soo Choi Senior Managing Attorney View Profile
Kurt B. Gerstner photo Kurt B. Gerstner Senior Attorney Admitted to New York, Massachusetts and DC Bars View Profile
Hye-In Jin photo Hye-In Jin Attorney View Profile
Ghil-Won Jo photo Ghil-Won Jo Senior Managing Attorney View Profile
Yong-Moon Kim photo Yong-Moon Kim Senior Attorney View Profile
Hye-In Kim photo Hye-In Kim Attorney View Profile
John JungKyum Kim photo John JungKyum Kim Senior Attorney (Admitted to New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Bars) View Profile
Sung-Eun Stephan Kim photo Sung-Eun Stephan Kim Senior Attorney (Admitted to New York and New Jersey Bars) View Profile
Seung-Hun Lee photo Seung-Hun Lee Senior Attorney View Profile
Si-Won Lee photo Si-Won Lee Senior Attorney View Profile
Kwang-Chun Park photo Kwang-Chun Park Senior Attorney View Profile
Sung-Duck Park photo Sung-Duck Park Senior Managing Attorney View Profile
Christina Jiwon Park photo Christina Jiwon Park Senior Attorney View Profile
Nicholas H. Park photo Nicholas H. Park Senior Managing Attorney (Admitted to District of Columbia Bar) View Profile
Yo-Sub Shim photo Yo-Sub Shim Senior Attorney View Profile
Myoung-Ho Song photo Myoung-Ho Song Senior Attorney View Profile
Weon-Jae Yang photo Weon-Jae Yang Senior Attorney View Profile

Languages

Korean
English

International Capabilities


Dentons Lee is a full-service, highly innovative law firm with more than 60 years of experience serving the cross-border needs of our international clients. To further our ability to help our clients flourish and prosper in the ever-expanding global economy, our firm combined with Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, with more than 12,000 lawyers in 214 locations across 82 countries. Now, as Dentons’ Korea office, our firm provides unsurpassed global reach and resources to Korean companies in their global business activities, as well as to international companies seeking to enter and operate in the Korean market.
In Korea, we advise and represent domestic and foreign companies, governments, organizations and individuals, to help them navigate through the tangle of laws, regulations and business practices that may pose obstacles to their success. Given our extensive experience advising and representing foreign clients over many years, and with a team of seasoned foreign attorneys, we understand foreign companies, laws, practices, and cultures. We know how to communicate clearly and effectively with international clients and to anticipate their questions and concerns. This enables them to better understand the complexities of Korean law and make better decisions as they operate their businesses in Korea.
For Korean clients seeking to conduct outbound business in other countries, we work closely with our colleagues in other Dentons offices throughout the world, to enable clients to have a “one-stop” experience when obtaining legal services. We act as a trusted guide, helping our clients find highly skilled attorneys and other professionals in foreign countries to represent and advise them. We also act as interpreters, advisors, and managers, transmitting and explaining the information given between the foreign attorneys and our Korean clients so our clients understand the applicable foreign laws and practices and foreign attorneys understand our clients’ businesses and their requirements. And we advise and manage many of the projects being performed overseas to help reduce the burdens on our Korean clients in overseeing legal matters spread across the world.
The quality of our firm’s services in advisory, transactional, regulatory, dispute and other types of legal work, is reflected by the many Fortune 500 companies, Korean conglomerates and other top tier international companies that rely on our firm to help them grow, operate, finance, and protect their businesses. It is also reflected in awards and rankings based on client recommendations and feedback that we have been honored to receive:

2018-2020
Chambers and Partners Asia-Pacific 2018-2020 for the following category:
IP

Chambers and Partners Global 2018-2020 for the following category:
IP

Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2020 for the following category:
Dispute Resolution

2021
Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2021 for the following category:
Real Estate

Recognized by Who’s Who Legal 2021 for the following categories:
Product Liability Defense
Hospitality

Chosen by Asia Business Law Journal for the following categories:
Litigation
Patent Litigation
Trademark Litigation

2022
Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2022 for the following category:
Real Estate

Recognized by Who’s Who Legal 2022 for the following categories:
Product Liability Defense
Construction & Real Estate
Franchise
Hospitality

Chosen by Asia Business Law Journal for the following categories:
Trademark Litigation
Trademark Prosecution
Patent Prosecution

2023
Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2023 for the following categories:
Labour and Employment
Real Estate

Recognized by Who’s Who Legal 2023 for the following categories:
Product Liability Defense
Franchise

Chosen by Asian Legal Business Asia’s Top Innovative Law Firm in South Korea

2024
Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2024 for the following categories:
Labour and Employment
Real Estate
Insurance

Chambers and Partners 2024 for the following categories:
Employment
Insurance: John JungKyum Kim

Client Testimonials


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.

 

Notable Cases


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.



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