Kim & Chang, Korea's largest and most dominant full-service law firm, remains unchallenged across the board, maintaining its 'Outstanding' ranking in all practice areas and sectors. As the first choice for many multinationals, international brands, and domestic conglomerates, the firm's vast size enables it to house top-notch specialists in every niche area of practice. This breadth of expertise allows Kim & Chang to push the boundaries of innovation, handling landmark and sizeable matters with ease. The firm's litigation practice group stands out as a prime example, leading the field in Korea with its outstanding problem-solving skills and winning track record. The team excels in a wide range of litigations, from general civil, criminal, and administrative cases to specialised commercial disputes in areas such as M&A, banking, securities, insurance, anti-competition, intellectual property, and white-collar crimes.
Client feedback
"I can confirm that the Kim & Chang team has profound expertise in finance including shipping and ship financing stemming from its deep and wide experience." – Banking and finance
"Insight on the most up-to-date legislative and enforcement trends and market changes. Trustworthy partner in providing solid and credible advice. Realistic and practical approach to risk management, based on an acute understanding of the client's needs." – Competition/antitrust
"Kim & Chang has the depth and breadth to respond to urgent needs for legal guidance. It has the ability to mobilise experts within a short period of time to manage crisis situations." – Competition/antitrust
"Good strategy, perfect preparation." – Competition/antitrust
"Insight, commitment, persuasive legal logic." – Corporate and M&A
"Top-notch lawyers with unbeatable network in Korea across public and private sectors; dedicated client services." – Corporate and M&A
"They are a top-notch law firm in Korea providing full service for M&A works. They are responsive, have deep understanding of issues, are innovative in structuring and problem-solving." – Corporate and M&A
"Fast response time, very good understanding of the business." – Dispute resolution
"The firm has a very high level of professionalism and expertise, matching other global law firms." – Dispute resolution
"Very proactive and they provide top-quality legal advice." – Dispute resolution
"Perfect legal advice and superb local market knowledge paired with excellent English language abilities." – Dispute resolution
"Kim & Chang proposed a quite good defence strategy based on the facts and referring to plenty of precedents. K&C closely followed up with the investigation authority and its upper level and even arranged onsite visits to have face-to-face explanations in addition to the written statements which makes our explanations much more persuasive." – Dispute resolution
"Attention to detail; skilled advocates; strong client communication and services; strategic thinking; excellent and complete understanding of Korean legal issues." – Dispute resolution
"They showed well-organised teamwork in providing professional work and efficient communication, to cope with needs from clients and external factors from time to time." – Dispute resolution
"Professional, understands and does their best to fulfil the client's needs." – Dispute resolution
"Kim & Chang is distinguished in leading and supporting clients." – Dispute resolution
"Client-oriented service with kind professionalism." – Infrastructure
"They are always proactive on possible options our company may have and are also quick on their feet." – Insurance
"During this period, Kim & Chang represented several companies facing these investigations, successfully securing dismissals for most without any formal indictment. However, in the present case, Kim & Chang assumed representation after the company had already been charged, having initially been represented by another firm. Despite a guilty verdict at the trial court and significant pressure from both the KCS and the National Health Insurance Service to uphold the verdict, which could have exposed the company to substantial damages in the tens of millions of dollars, Kim & Chang successfully appealed the verdict. In 2022, the High Court overturned the initial verdict, and in 2023, the Supreme Court affirmed the reversal, leading to the ultimate dismissal of all charges against the company." – Insurance
"It takes a holistic approach to providing legal and business advice. Kim & Chang is very knowledgeable about our business and legal needs, being proactive in providing advice." – Intellectual property
"Their good rapport and relationship with enforcement authorities, such as the special judicial police of the Korean Intellectual Property Office. They offer pragmatic legal advice and positive conclusions to IP infringement cases handled by them." – Intellectual property
"Accuracy, deep understanding of the subject-matter, fast response." – Intellectual property
"Very experienced and skilled attorneys who are also excellent in communicating and discussing complex matters." – Intellectual property
"Kim & Chang always meets and exceeds expectations with its services. The advice is comprehensive, thorough, meticulous, accurate, to the point, and reliable. Their expertise and quality of advice are generally a notch above other big firms in Korea." – Labour and employment
"Kim & Chang goes the extra mile to effectively represent its clients, which naturally increases the prevailing rate. We recently had 100% successful outcome on labour-related criminal case, civil litigation, and labour petition cases, all represented by K&C." – Labour and employment
"Kim & Chang is very customer-oriented and has a high level of understanding of its clients' business strategies. It tries to deliver results that cater to its client's business goal, and accommodates urgent/last-minute requests." – Labour and employment
"Service-minded, perfect English and real professional service." – Labour and employment
"Excellent English-speaking and writing skills. Reliability and responsiveness. Outstanding technical skills. Clear and structured approach. Problem-solvers/solution-oriented." – Labour and employment
"They appropriately presented a very effective method, with successful results." – Labour and employment
"Kim & Chang, with its extensive expertise and professional network in M&A advisory, has successfully advised us during the structuring, due diligence, documentation and negotiation process." – Private equity
"Deeply thought-out identification and risk assessment of potential issues. Calm and logical arguments in negotiations." – Private equity
"Excellent manpower and systematic approach for complex/multi-stage/cross-border investment based on long-time track record." – Private equity
"Kim & Chang never fails to present our case before the court in a professional and brilliant manner. They have done a tremendous job in winning our case before the Supreme Court. We are impressed by their work and dedication to winning our case without fear." – Regulatory
"The offshore wind farm development project involves various complex regulatory issues. K&C provided accurate and efficient advice based on its accumulated knowledge and experience in a proactive manner." – Regulatory
"They provide precise and quick services with the highest quality of work." – Restructuring and insolvency
"Their communication with clients is concise yet highly effective." – Shipping
"They have a substantial number of experts in foreign exchange transactions, and it became evident that they possess extensive experience in this area. Their deep knowledge and comprehensive expertise allow them to handle complex cases with great proficiency, ensuring high-quality legal services for their clients." – Tax
"Timely mutual agreement procedure (MAP) commencement, change in enforcement decree of the relevant tax law, strategic tax appeals including litigation." – Tax
"Kim & Chang proved its strong tax knowledge and management skill in very stressful situations of tax audits and complicated transactions." – Tax
"Professional in handling all tax and customs-related matters. They have lots of experts who cover all related aspects. Strong communication skill with auditors and internal stakeholders." – Tax
"K&C has a strong pool of expertise across a wide range of areas, which enables them to maintain their high reputation as a law firm. And it makes them provide powerful and effective communication in solving problems and informative consulting." – Tax
"Very knowledgeable and experienced team. Excellent, well-thought-out advice." – Technology and telecommunications
Jay Ahn
"He is very experienced in this field, and his understanding of the industry makes it much easier for us to work with him."
Soobin Ahn
"Soobin is very responsive and has advised us well during the negotiation process. He has also communicated well within his organisation to provide us with quality advice in a timely manner."
Sup Joon Byun
"Closeness to the business, availability."
Matthew Christensen
"Matthew is not only an outstanding lawyer, he is a great person who cares about others and is a source of encouragement to those around him. He is very smart as a person and as a lawyer."
"User-friendly. Very strong construction disputes practitioner."
Jin Yeong Chung
"Excellent English language abilities and perfect team organisation in complex matters."
Sang Wook Han
"Knowledge, speed of understanding, communication, strategy, positive attitude, persuasive tongue."
Jong-Won Jeon
"Clearly understands the needs of the clients and takes efficient and effective actions based on their professionalism, rich experience, and local resources."
"I think he is a lawyer and leader with a great perspective, focusing on solutions rather than problems. He not only utilised essential internal talents in the right places from an overall perspective but also protected us to the end by logically interpreting the case, ensuring that no loophole in the law was exposed to any attacks from the opposing side."
"Mr. Jong-Won Jeon provides very high-quality advisory work and goes the extra mile to effectively represent clients in civil/criminal cases. His work is comprehensive, accurate, to the point, reliable, and fine-tuned to the client's needs. He is very responsive and accommodates last-minute/urgent requests."
"Mr. Jeon has demonstrated outstanding ability to help his clients in complex lawsuits. His unwavering dedication and professionalism have gained full trust from his clients. We relied on his professional advice in our lawsuits, investigations, and legal and compliance trainings. He always ensures his clients' interests and rights are well protected."
"Throughout my experience as a client, I have consistently been impressed by his legal acumen and dedication to excellence. He possesses an ability to navigate complex legal matters with precision and clarity, demonstrating a deep understanding of the law and a keen eye for the industry."
Matthew Jones
"Very service-minded and solution-focused. Perfect English with good knowledge of Korean culture."
Kwang-Jin Jung
"Proactive communication and strategic tax appeals."
Hyung Doo Kim
"Dedicated relationship partner; he provides a one-stop service type support so we can easily reach out to him for any matters that require K&C's assistance."
Wan Suk Kim
"Excellent. He is one of the best lawyers in Korea with deep and expansive knowledge in all related areas and innovative structuring skills."
Chaeho Kim
"Very professional and client-oriented with strong expertise on the legal framework. Kind and quick."
Dong So Kim
"Deeper knowledge and good relationship with client."
Jeong Il Kim
"JI provided fascinating tax services to us. Whenever we face difficult tax issues, JI could provide the best solutions and advice."
In Hwan Kim
"Professional knowledge and understanding of the industry. Great communication skill."
"In is a complete lawyer and adviser. He is proactive in providing advice and takes advantage of K&C's deep bench to augment the advice provided as needed. He is very knowledgeable about our business and needs."
Hwan Beom Lee
"Fast and responsive communication, agile approach, very good understanding of clients' needs. Excellent understanding of key legal matters relevant to the industry."
Kyung Yul Lee
"Kyung Yul has extensive knowledge and experience in digital platforms and related competition issues. He is one of the top experts in this field and is able to provide comprehensive and effective guidance to navigate the most difficult competition law issues."
Hemi Lee
"Proactive and clear communications, excellent analysis skills, client-oriented mindset, great collaborator."
Chunsoo Lee
"Extensive knowledge and experience in proceedings."
Hyunbok Lee
"He is excellent at his work, has a great work ethic, truly does his best to fulfil the client's needs."
Jason Lee
"Competent jurisdiction IP knowledge, provides pragmatic recommendations."
Do Hyung Lee
"He has extensive knowledge of overall HR legal issues and responds very quickly to customer needs."
Cheol Won Lee
"His legal view is always straightforward and speedy responses are provided."
"He is excellent at providing the best legal solution."
Yunjoh Lee
"Extremely knowledgeable. Great advice."
Tae-Yeon (TY) Nam
"She is always trying to update her knowledge and has a positive attitude, very professional."
"Deep understanding of our business and industry. Professional approach with risk management. Well-organised for communication with internal stakeholders."
Yeonwoo Park
"Deep knowledge on the subject-matter, great responsiveness."
Kwon-Eui Park
"Very attentive and responsive. Invests the time to clearly explain things. Flexible and open to suggestions."
Joon Hwan Park
"As a senior attorney in the maritime and energy fields, Joon Hwan has considerable experience and knowledge in the relevant area. He is also very efficient in addressing licensing issues and is capable of handling work of complex legal issues."
"Very friendly and cooperative."
Jae-Hong Park
"He provides practical and effective ways of solving the client's issues in favour of the client. And he is a good listener, which enables him to build a good relationship with clients."
Chang Woo Suh
"Carefully listens to clients' issues and always tries to come up with a solution."
Yong Seung Sun
"Active engagement, commitment, team-setting capability including global network."
Jay Yang
"Jay is one of the most experienced IP litigators in South Korea. He has in-depth knowledge in legal matters and various technical sectors. His experience is based on numerous domestic and international IP disputes he has handled or was involved in. On top of that, his communication ability in English and Japanese enables detailed discussions on highly complex matters."
Seung Jong Yang
"Ability to communicate with customers and has tax expertise."
Hi Sun Yoon
"He has profound expertise based on his extensive experience."
Work highlights
Represented Meta Platforms Ireland (formerly Facebook Ireland) in administrative litigation against the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) to revoke unlawful dispositions, including a corrective order and administrative penalty imposed under the Telecommunications Business Act. The case concerned Meta's change in connection routes for its services, which the KCC alleged restricted the use of telecommunications services and undermined users' interests. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favour of Meta, revoking the KCC's dispositions and setting significant precedents for content providers' management of connection routes in the telecommunications industry.
Represented SoCar and VCNC in a criminal case where the defendants were charged with violating the Passenger Transport Services Act for their app-based service TADA, which combined car-sharing with driver referral. The case, viewed as a clash between the traditional taxi industry and new IT services, resulted in a not-guilty decision for the defendants, setting an important precedent for innovative businesses operating in regulatory grey areas.
Key clients
Dolby Laboratories, Schindler Holding
Work highlights
Successfully represented Hyundai Motor Group in forming a landmark joint venture with SK On for US battery cell production. The transaction involved a complex joint venture structure, multiple commercial agreements, and state incentives. It required comprehensive legal and regulatory analysis across multiple jurisdictions, necessitating collaboration with US law firms. The deal's complexity was heightened by the need to balance the interests of a battery supplier and consumer within a tight timeline driven by US electric vehicle market demands. The firm navigated diverse areas including corporate, antitrust, IP, foreign investment, export control, and tax regulations to facilitate this multifaceted international transaction.
Advised EQT Partners on its approximately W2 trillion acquisition of SK Shieldus through a combination of share purchase and new share subscription. Concurrently, the firm advised SK Square and Blue Security Investment on their sales to EQT Partners. This transaction marked the first instance of a national security review for foreign investment in Korea since the implementation of relevant laws in 2022. Despite the lack of regulatory precedents, the firm successfully navigated the process, drawing on extensive experience with similar regulatory filings. Through close collaboration with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the National Intelligence Service, the firm secured a swift and smooth approval process without delays, setting a new benchmark for foreign investments subject to national security review in Korea.
Key clients
Hyundai Motor Company, IMM Private Equity, MBK Partners
