Yoon & Yang LLC (“Yoon & Yang”) announced that it has upgraded a full lineup for M&A practice by recruiting Young Ju Kim and Min Joo Kim from LAB Partners in Korea, both recognized for their strong expertise in private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) transactions. With the addition of these two partners, it has established a comprehensive lineup to serve all players in the M&A market, including large corporations, cross-border deals, PE, and mid-cap companies.
Yoon & Yang is now considered to have built a top-tier team that covers all areas of M&A, capital markets, and corporate advisory, building on the recent hire such as managing partner Hee Woong Yoon, and other key partners, Jin Kook Lee, Myong-Hyon (Brandon) Ryu, and So Yeon Yoon. In addition to the firm’s recent strengthening of cross-border and large-cap M&A capabilities, this new recruitment further expands its capabilities to include PEF-led M&A and mid-cap M&A advisory, significantly broadening its client base in the M&A sector.
Most importantly, Yoon & Yang’s recent recruitment of leading attorneys from LAB Partners, who were both renowned for their exceptional expertise in PE, VC, and mid-cap M&A, is highly significant as it will certainly establish itself as a prominent player in the PE and VC markets.
Young Ju Kim, a partner, has established himself as a leading strategist in PE-centric M&A deals. A graduate of Korea University (LL.B., LL.M.) and a Korea qualified lawyer, Mr. Kim began his legal career at Shin & Kim LLC in 2009, where he distinguished himself in all areas of corporate and finance advisory, including PE and VC, capital markets regulation, acquisition finance, and structured finance. He later joined KL Partners and subsequently moved to LAB Partners as a founding member and managing partner in 2018, playing a crucial role in its rise as a premier M&A firm. In particular, Mr. Kim has been central to major domestic and international PE and VC transactions, including SGPE’s acquisition of Korea Special Gases, Keistone Partners’ acquisition of Se-Ah Mechanics, Highland PE’s acquisition of Orion Technology, and Orchestra PE’s acquisition of KFC Korea. Mr. Kim also advised on the landmark transaction involving the sale of Kyungjin Textile and Dongjin Textile to MBK Partners for KRW 790 billion.
Furthermore, he enhanced his expertise in handling cross-border deals while working at the Hong Kong office of the U.S. law firm Latham & Watkins, which led to his participation in numerous inbound deals representing foreign investors. Since 2016, Mr. Kim has been continuously recognized as a leading lawyer in M&A and PE by IFLR1000, underscoring his global market reputation and expertise.
Min Joo Kim, a partner who was admitted to the Korean bar in 2017, is an all-around player who covers entire process of M&A and corporate advisory. She graduated from Seoul National University (LL.B.) and from Ewha Law School (J.D.). Under the guidance of Mr. Kim at LAB Partners, Ms. Kim has handled a wide range of M&A, corporate governance, shareholder disputes, and corporate finance matters across various industries.
Over the past eight years, Ms. Kim has earned recognition for her ability to oversee and handle every stage of mid-cap transactions—from deal structuring, fund formation, due diligence, and regulatory review to closing. In particular, her notable successes include leading SBI Holdings’ investment in Kyobo Life Insurance, Tenet PE’s acquisition of Powermax, Highland PE’s acquisition of Orion Technology, and SK Energy’s acquisition of GoodsFlow. She also demonstrated exceptional expertise in cross-border M&A by meticulously reviewing regulatory and licensing issues with the government of Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary during IS Dongseo’s acquisition of Slovakia’s BTS Technology. She led the due diligence of four European subsidiaries in collaboration with local counsels.
The addition of the two partners is expected to significantly enhance Yoon & Yang’s capabilities in advising high-profile PE/VC deals and mid-cap transactions, while also reinforcing its competitiveness in both domestic and cross-border M&A.
Mr. Myung Soo Lee, the managing partner of Yoon & Yang, commented, “Yoon & Yang has continuously invested in talent with the strategic mindset and deep expertise to deal with complex M&A structures and meet diverse investor needs. With the addition of these two highly respected partners, Yoon & Yang has established a full-spectrum service capable of covering M&A, PE/VC-driven transactions, and capital markets advisory, enabling us to provide clients with optimized, client-focused solutions.”