Yulchon LLC

Co-Managing Partners: Seok Hoon Kang, Dong Ryul Choi, Hee Woong Yoon

Number of fee earners: 700+

Languages: Korean, English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Burmese and Cambodian

Firm Overview:  

Yulchon is a full-service law firm headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, advising on a full range of specialized practice areas, including corporate & finance, antitrust, tax, real estate & construction, dispute resolution, intellectual property & technology, and labor & employment. The firm was established in 1997 and has more than 700 professionals currently. In addition to its main offices in Seoul, Yulchon has six overseas offices in five jurisdictions and has 10 regional practice teams covering the world. The firm provides the highest quality of legal services to its clients around the globe including their most complex legal matters.

Main Areas of Practice:  

Corporate & Finance:  

Specialising in sophisticated transactional work, Yulchon’s corporate and finance group focuses on business objectives of the clients and employs a cross-disciplinary team approach to address those objectives efficiently and effectively.

■ Yulchon successfully advised CJ ENM acquiring a controlling stake of Million Volt animation studio

■ Yulchon successfully advised Unknown Worlds Entertainment, a U.S. Video Game Developer, in its Acquisition by Krafton

Contact: Young Su Shin; Sung Wook Eun  

Emails: [email protected]; [email protected]  

Antitrust/Competition:  

Antitrust/Competition experts serve multinational clients with simultaneous multi-jurisdictional antitrust investigations and issues that require close coordination among counsel from each jurisdiction. The team has been recognised worldwide for representing clients both local and abroad in various high-profile cases.

■ Successfully defended Qualcomm in KFTC’s Abuse of Dominance Allegations

■ Successfully represented Microsoft in its acquisition of Activision Blizzard

Contact: Sung Bom Park  

Email: [email protected] 

Tax:  

Comprised of over 60 tax experts, Yulchon’s tax group retains an exclusive team that handles legal services on tax controversy matters for foreign enterprises investing in Korea and Korean enterprises investing overseas.

■ Advised Mastern Investment Management on its investment in a US real estate development project

■ Successfully represented foreign financial institutions in education tax assessment litigation

Contact: Dong Soo Kim  

Email: [email protected]  

Real Estate & Construction:  

The real estate and construction group has experts in a wide variety of fields that can assist clients in every major sector of the real estate and construction industries. The group’s knowledge and systemic interdisciplinary approach enable Yulchon to develop innovative structures and creative solutions customised for the most complex and challenging real estate projects and disputes.

■ Provided legal advice for SK E&C and other related parties concerning a multi-billion dollar project thus the Yong-in Semiconductor Cluster Construction project

■ Represented Sejong City and won lawsuit seeking cancellation of imposition of phase 1 water supply charges on causer

Contact: Ju Bong Park  

Email: [email protected]  

Dispute Resolution:  

The dispute resolution group is made up of highly respected professionals who have considerable experience working in both the public and private sector. It takes on matters in an organic manner whereby attorneys work cooperatively and draw on the widespread specialist expertise within the firm.

■ Successful Representation of Mirae Asset and Its Affiliates in a Landmark USD 5.8 Billion Dispute

■ Important Victory for Shinhan Investment Corp. in an Action Claiming Damages Regarding Investment in Leveraged Crude Oil Futures ETN

Contact: Il Bong Moon  

Email: [email protected]  

IP & Technology:  

Our IP & Technology provides a full range of legal and policy advice to clients in traditional technologies and emerging technologies (including AI, blockchain, big data, data privacy, fintech, e-commerce and digital healthcare, collectively “Technology”), energy, and environment (including ESG).

■ Yulchon represented HiCon Ltd., a Korean semi-conductor testing equipment manufacturer, and its CEO, Mr. Dong Weon Hwang, against Dallas-based Plastronics Socket Partners, Ltd. and Plastronics H-Pin, Ltd. in a rare defense jury victory in the Eastern District of Texas and received a 100% win on appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

■ Yulchon successfully defended KT Against Korea Communications Commission’s Investigation regarding Violations of ‘Telecommunications Business Act’

Contact: Doil Son  

Email: [email protected]  

Labour & Employment:  

The labour and employment practice has served as advisor to major Korean companies on all aspects of employment-law. The team is able to offer comprehensive assistance with all aspects of individual and collective labour relationships, as well as representation in any disputes related thereto.

■ Successfully represented Kangwon Land in defending against unjust-dismissal lawsuits brought by hundreds of employees who were terminated due to corrupt hiring practices

■ Represented SK Hynix before the Supreme Court in litigation over whether certain profit-sharing bonuses should be counted in calculating employees’ statutory severance benefits

Contact: Sang Wook Cho  

Email: [email protected]