Yulchon has a comprehensive labour and employment practice, acting for clients across diverse industries with notable strength in employment litigation. The firm’s investigations practice is continuously expanding to support complex, multidisciplinary cases. The team is led by Sang Wook Cho, who advises major domestic, and international corporations entering the Korean market. Soojung Lee assists both local and foreign clients with HR issues, while Jungwoo Lee focuses on labour relations, restructurings, and compliance. Senior foreign counsel Christopher Mandel brings significant experience from the U.S., enhancing the team’s global perspective in employment law.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
- Profile
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Christopher Mandel and Tae Eun Lee make a very good team for serving MNC clients. Mandel is fluent in English but also has a good understanding of Korean employment law, where Tae Eun Lee is the local expert. They can understand the issues with MNCs and give practical advice on how to navigate the Korean labour law. Their working style is also client-friendly and very responsive.’
‘We have very good experience with the Yulchon team. We have worked with other law firms in Korea, and it was expensive and not effective, which was a total contrast compared to Yulchon.'
- 'The whole team is professional, effective and strategic.’
‘Christopher Mandel is simply amazing. He is dedicated, reliable and humble. He is very knowledgeable and dedicated with this support, yet humble and friendly to work with.'
‘Yulchon's employment attorneys I have worked with so far have been highly experienced and sensitive to my company's needs. They give you an appropriate amount of advice at the right time, still preparing you for the end game of the matter at issue so your company is in a good position if the matter ends up being in court. They are very engaged, and they will really take care of your company.'
‘Soojung Lee's advice is always concise, to the point, appropriate for the matter at hand, and still far-sighted. She is methodical in her approach but can also be flexible when necessary.'
‘This Yulchon team is not only an expert in navigating Korean legal matters but also very adept in explaining the Korean legal framework to an international audience where the understanding of relevant laws may be limited. They are excellent at communicating the local legal requirements to non-Koreans and giving practical, risk-adjusted advice.’
‘Excellent communicators and easy to work with, with an approach to client service matching the best large global law firms.’
Key clients
- Ansys
- Atlascopco
- Covestro
- Chanel
- Dell
- Dr. Martens
- Havas Group
- Hyundai Motors Group
- Intercos
- KOGAS
Work highlights
- Successfully represented LG Uplus before the Supreme Court, in a case involving the calculation of ordinary wages, the base rate for statutory entitlements like overtime pay.
- Successfully represented a tech-company client before the Supreme Court, in a case involving changes to the client’s employment rules and evaluation policy.
- Successfully represented an IT client in both a government investigation and criminal legal proceedings related to allegations of workplace harassment.
Lawyers
Next generation partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Sang Wook Cho
Other key lawyers
Kwang Sun Lee; Soojung Lee; Jungwoo Lee; Christopher Mandel; Tae Eun Lee