Jipyong is a well-rounded firm that offers representation across all key practice areas and core industries. The firm’s labour and employment practice is highly regarded by peers and clients. Managing partner and labour specialist Ji Hyung Kim is widely respected in the market, noted as a “pillar of industry” by peers for his extensive experience in this area. Gee Hong Kim frequently acts as lead partner in competition and antitrust cases, and many of the firm’s top M&A matters last year featured corporate partners Cheol Jeong and Min Shin. The equity capital markets practice has an impressive record as issuer’s counsel on numerous listings, including those for SK Biopharmaceuticals and Kakao Games. The firm is deepening its regional footprint with on-the-ground operations in a number of emerging markets including Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. Partners Yong Moon Kim and Yo Sub Shim joined the firm for labour and employment in 2024.
Work highlights
Successfully defended a private university in a lawsuit, securing a court decision that treating non-tenured full-time faculty members differently from tenured full-time faculty members does not constitute discriminatory treatment. This ruling is significant in that the court clearly held that differences in employment conditions between tenured and non-tenured full-time faculty do not amount to discriminatory treatment under the Labour Standards Act.
Represented a corporate client in securing a court ruling that retroactive wage increases paid post-retirement did not amount to ongoing discriminatory treatment. This decision clarified that a one-time retroactive wage payment does not constitute “continuing discriminatory treatment” under Korean labour law.
Key clients
K-water, Korean Broadcasting System
Work highlights
Successfully obtained an invalidation decision in a patent trial concerning Seoul Dairy Cooperative’s challenge against a patent on “beta-casein A2 for alleviating or preventing symptoms of lactose intolerance”. This was a landmark case in which a Korean company successfully invalidated a patent registered by a foreign company that had posed significant regulatory and commercial hurdles to domestic products.
Successfully obtained an invalidation decision in a patent trial concerning the “ultrasonic scanning based on probability maps” technology registered by a global US company, representing a domestic medical device company. The trial decision has precedential significance in affirming that the mere addition of AI or machine learning algorithms to a conventional technical field does not automatically satisfy the inventive step requirement under patent law.
Work highlights
Represented brothers Jong-yoon Lim and Jong-hoon Lim in securing management control over Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group.
Represented Good People in responding to the eligibility review for its listing on the KRX. Over a span of approximately three years, Jipyong successfully advised the client on numerous civil and criminal lawsuits to recover company assets lost due to embezzlement and breach of trust.
Key clients
ICURE Pharmaceutical, KEB Hana Bank, OliPass Corporation, SolarPark Korea
Work highlights
Advised SillaJen on its acquisition of full ownership and management control of Woosung Pharmaceutical. The deal involved the purchase of an 80% stake from Corentec for W9 billion ($6.5 million) in cash and (W1 billion) in convertible bonds, followed by acquisition of the remaining 20% from Woosung CEO Cho Hwan Woo and other shareholders.
Advised Cheil Bio (the surviving Kosdaq-listed company) on its absorption-type merger with unlisted company Seong Sin Bio Corporation.
Key clients
L&C Bio, Yuhan Corporation
Work highlights
Advised Mirae Asset Securities (as lead manager) and Oncocross on its successful listing on the Kosdaq. The listing of Oncocross marked a significant and rare IPO success in a challenging capital markets environment.
Advised Korea Investment & Securities (as lead underwriter) and Next Biomedical on its IPO on the Kosdaq. The book-building drew strong demand from 1,116 institutional investors, achieving a 356.9:1 competition ratio.
Work highlights
Represented Kakao Corporation and Kakao Entertainment in advising on the acquisition of SM Entertainment and on the business combination notification. This case was particularly significant as it was the first merger to address issues of self-preferencing, involving numerous complex legal matters.
Advised Hanwha Engine (as a stakeholder) on the business combination between HD Hyundai and STX Heavy Industries (leading to corrective measures). This case is expected to better set an important precedent for future high-profile mergers, paving the way for stakeholders affected by such mergers to participate in the Korea Fair Trade Commission’s review and deliberation processes actively and formally.
Key clients
HYBE, Musicow, SK Shieldus, SPC Group
Work highlights
Represented T Renewable in connection with the project financing of a rooftop solar power generation initiative implemented through its subsidiary, Korea Factory Rooftop Solar Power Holding.
Advised Mirae Asset Securities and the lending syndicate on the KRW Two Trillion project financing for the K-Project in Seongsu-dong district of Korea, a mixed-use development project that includes the construction of Krafton’s new headquarters on the former E-mart head office site.
Key clients
Hanwha REIT, IGIS Asset Management, Lotte REIT
Work highlights
Represented a major domestic construction company in a lawsuit for construction costs against the Republic of Korea and a public institution, securing a favourable ruling. This appellate judgment is significant, as it is one of the rare cases addressing the calculation method for the extension of the construction period in dredging projects.
Represented a power plant construction project owner in a case involving a claim for additional construction costs against a construction company. This case is significant in that it is one of the rare instances where the appraiser's findings were completely rejected by the court, achieved by presenting technical evidence to persuade the court of the multiple errors in the appraisal.
Work highlights
Advised Korea Investment Holdings on the implementation of a responsibility map. The project reflects Korea Investment Holdings’ proactive response to the regulatory focus on executive accountability in the financial sector.
Advised Korea Investment & Securities and Korea Investment Management on the development and implementation of a responsibility map pursuant to the Act on Corporate Governance of Financial Companies. This project reflects a group-wide governance enhancement initiative across key affiliates of Korea Investment Holdings, in alignment with regulatory expectations on internal accountability.
Key clients
Dunamu, Finnq, KakaoBank, KB Kookmin Card
