NAME: Jin Kook Lee
LAW FIRM: Yoon & Yang
COUNTRY: South Korea
PRACTICE AREAS: Capital markets, Corporate and M&A
Jin Kook Lee of Yoon & Yang is our August lawyer of the month for his lead role in advising Hotel Lotte and Busan Lotte Hotel on the $925 million (KRW 1.3 trillion) sale of a majority stake in Lotte Rental to US private equity firm TPG. The transaction ranks among South Korea’s largest private equity acquisitions announced in 2026 and is a key component of Lotte Group’s asset optimisation strategy. TPG also plans to launch a tender offer for the remaining shares following the acquisition.
As a partner at Yoon & Yang, Lee brings over two decades of experience across corporate law, M&A, private equity and capital markets, and has played key roles in major transactions both at home and abroad. Admitted to the bar in Korea in 2001 and in New York in 2009, he has led significant M&A deals including Hanwha Group's acquisition of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, NAVER's acquisition of Poshmark, and MBK Partners' acquisition of Homeplus, demonstrating outstanding expertise in both inbound and outbound mandates. In the capital markets sector, he has taken a leading role in the successful IPOs of EcoPro Materials, SK IE Technology, Hyundai Autoever, and Hanwha Systems.
His broader deal experience includes advising Kakao on the sale of AXZ (Daum), Carlyle on its acquisition of KFC Korea, IMM Private Equity and Ecorbit on the acquisition of K-Eco, and NXC on the sale of Korbit. He has also acted for NAVER on its acquisition of Wallapop in Spain, Hillhouse Capital on its acquisition of SK EcoPrime, and EcoPro Materials on its series capital raise and its listing on the Korea Exchange, among numerous other cross-border and domestic engagements.
Lee is currently ranked as a Distinguished Practitioner in asialaw for Corporate and M&A.
