With a strong bench comprised of Korean and foreign attorneys, coupled with former KFTC officials and former judges, Bae, Kim & Lee LLC is at the forefront of Korean regulation compliance and multi-jurisdictional merger filings. The team continues to expand, most recently with the hire of former judge Sangcheol Kim to the criminal antitrust and competition response centre. As a former official in the competition division of the KFTC, practice head Hongki Kim specialises in large-scale cartel investigations and consumer protection. Sanghoon Shin chiefly focuses on antitrust, merger control and consumer protection, while Kyusik Kim is a name to note for fair trade cases. Dohyung Kwon‘s practice sits at the intersection of fair trade and construction.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The BKL Team has shown outstanding performance in the field of corporate merger reporting. In particular, its greatest strengths are its in-depth understanding of business areas and its persistent persuasion of competition authorities.’
‘The abilities of attorneys Hongki Kim and Do-hyung Kwon are truly outstanding.’
‘Very strong in behavioural matters and understanding very well the current KFTC enforcement landscape. Strong team dynamic and a sense that they work well together. ’
‘Sanghoon Shin continues to impress - very strong international background, which gives him an edge in understanding different client needs from a cultural perspective. ’
Key clients
- BYD Company Limited
- Marriott International
- Siemens
- LG Electronics
- Meta Platforms
- Tesla
- TCL Electronics
- Samsung Bioepis
- AliExpress
- Sony Korea
Work highlights
Represented Tesla Korea in rescission claims related to FSD features on the grounds that the feature had not been activated as promised, filed by 98 consumers.
Represented KT in a case involving collusion among Korea’s three major mobile carriers to control mobile number portability (MNP) trends so as to prevent excessive subscriber gains or losses by one carrier.
Representing Kakao Mobility, a taxi-hailing app, as main counsel in responding to a prosecution investigation.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Hongki Kim
Other key lawyers
Sangcheol Kim; Sanghoon Shin; Kyusik Kim; Dohyung Kwon
Comparative Guides
Comparative Guide
Patent Litigation
South Korea
Kijoong Kang, Hojun Yeom, Samuel Sung Mok Lee & Jun Kyu Jeon
Comparative Guide
Intellectual Property
South Korea
Jihyun Kim, Tae Guen Kim, Mun Ki Nam & Samuel Sung Mok Lee
Comparative Guide
Shareholder Activism
South Korea
Yongman Bae, Gyeong Su Kim, Yonghwi Park & Eugene J. Hwang
Comparative Guide
Life Sciences
South Korea
Jung Min Jo, Hyojun An & Ahwon Choi