Shin & Kim LLC (“Shin & Kim”), led by Managing Partner Jong-han Oh, has officially launched the Center for Trade, Industry and Public Affairs, a strategic platform established to deliver integrated advisory solutions spanning trade, economic security, and geopolitics.
As the global trade landscape undergoes rapid transformation—driven by shifting tariff policies, intensifying U.S.–China technological rivalry, the prolonged Russia–Ukraine war, and escalating tensions in the Middle East—governments around the world are fundamentally reshaping export controls, economic sanctions, and subsidy regimes. In this increasingly complex environment, companies face a growing need for multidimensional strategies that extend well beyond traditional regulatory compliance.
The Center is designed to move past passive, risk-management-focused advisory models and to provide proactive, forward-looking counsel, enabling clients to transform regulatory and geopolitical change into new sources of strategic and commercial opportunity.
To this end, the Center delivers integrated counseling services built on three core pillars.
First, it offers end-to-end strategic design (“Deal Architect”) services, encompassing the entire lifecycle of cross-border investments—from strategic planning and deal structuring to execution—through a one-stop, integrated approach.
Second, the Center provides economic security and regulatory response strategies, addressing a wide range of global regimes, including U.S. regulations such as CFIUS, export controls (EAR/ITAR), and OFAC sanctions; the EU’s Foreign Subsidy Regulation (FSR) and foreign direct investment screening frameworks; China’s Data Security Law and national security reviews; as well as European supply chain regulations, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and battery-related regulatory requirements.
Third, the Center serves as a geopolitical and policy compass, assessing the implications of geopolitical developments and policy shifts on corporate investments, supply chains, and business models, and translating these insights into practical strategic guidance.
The Center is led by Sejin Kim, a U.S.-licensed attorney and former Director of Trade Dispute Response at Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, and a leading authority in economic security and trade strategy.
Mr. Kim joined Shin & Kim after nearly a decade at BKL, where he advised clients on highly complex international disputes, including ISDS cases, WTO proceedings, and international arbitration. From 2022, he served for more than three years as Director of Trade Dispute Settlement Division at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, playing a central role in formulating and executing the Korean government’s trade and economic security strategy. His work focused on issues at the intersection of global trade, supply chain resilience, and economic security, particularly in strategic industries such as defense, nuclear power, batteries, and shipbuilding.
The Center is further strengthened by the participation of key partners across Shin & Kim, including Yong-woo Lee, Managing Partner and head of the Regulatory Group; Hyunju Helen Pak, Foreign Attorney specializing in international finance and investment transactions; Sang-hyun Lee, head of the Project & Energy Group; Young-suk Park, Young-won Yoon, and Jae-hee Kim, attorneys with deep expertise in international trade and arbitration; Young-hoon Kim, head of the Defense and Military Industry Team; and Mu-young Yu, head of the Policy Finance Team. Each brings extensive industry-specific experience to the Center’s multidisciplinary advisory framework.
In addition, the Center is supported by distinguished senior advisors, including Jeoung-yeol Yu, former President of KOTRA; Kang-hyeon Yun, former Ambassador to Iran; Han-seok Ko, a specialist in geopolitics and global business strategy; and Ho-joon Lee, former Director of the Planning and Coordination Bureau at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Senior Advisor Byoung-chun Choi, who brings extensive experience in policy planning and on-the-ground implementation across the National Assembly, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, political parties, and economic research institutes, will oversee the analysis of geopolitical and policy trends.
The Center provides practical and actionable solutions across a wide range of issues, including: assessing the impact of and formulating countermeasures to Trump-era tariffs on exports, such as tariff refunds and volume controls; designing optimal U.S. investment structures in light of CFIUS, export control regimes, and Buy America requirements; addressing the implications of the EU Foreign Subsidy Regulation in bidding processes; preventing data and technology leakage in joint ventures in China; leveraging Korea’s Supply Chain Stabilization Act, subsidy programs, and foreign investment incentives; and structuring joint ventures with overseas partners in the shipbuilding, defense, and energy sectors.
In parallel, the Center supports global expansion strategies, supply chain restructuring, foreign investment initiatives, and public-sector advisory services, with a particular focus on strategic industries including defense, energy and infrastructure, shipbuilding, batteries, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing. Through close collaboration with overseas law firms and consulting firms, Shin & Kim delivers integrated global advisory services designed to structure cross-border transactions in full alignment with the regulatory frameworks of each relevant jurisdiction.
Managing Partner Jong-han Oh commented,
“As the global trade order and economic security landscape continue to evolve at an unprecedented pace, companies stand at a critical inflection point that calls for a fundamental redesign of business strategies and investment structures, rather than passive regulatory compliance. The newly launched Center for Trade, Industry and Public Affairs will serve as a strategic partner, helping clients turn uncertainty into opportunity through an integrated perspective on trade, industry, and geopolitics.”