Former Lee & Ko partner has joined Yoon & Yang's Corporate Advisory Group and the Finance Practice Group, as the firm continues to boost its aviation practice.
Hye Kyung Helen Sohn, a bilingual attorney who worked at Lee & Ko for 27 years from 1995 to 2022, has joined Yoon & Yang, the firm announced on Tuesday, October 25, 2022.
Sohn is a renowned expert with broad experience and knowledge in the aviation law practice. She is considered to have pioneered the aviation finance in Korea. During her 27 years at Lee & Ko, she has become Korea’s leading aviation finance expert, advising major airlines and financial institutions on finance and operating leases, secured loan transactions, PDP financings, JOLCO, and ABS transactions. She is continuously ranked in the ‘Leading Lawyers’ section of the IFLR1000. Sohn has advised Korean Air, Jin Air, Jeju Air, T’way Air, The Export Import Bank of Korea, ICBC Leasing, Hana Bank, Hana Financial Investment, Shinhan Investment Group, Heungkuk Asset Management, and more.
In addition to Sohn, Yoon & Yang has also recently recruited Seungmin Song and Minjeong Kim, other experts in the aviation field. Seungmin Song, a former in-house attorney at Korean Air, is an expert who has experienced virtually all legal issues that could arise in the aviation industry, including finance, maintenance, flight, and insurance. While working as an in-house attorney at Korean Air for ten years from 2012 to 2022, Song was in charge of providing advice and engaging in negotiations on aircraft transactions, as well as providing advice on airline-related matters such as assistance to various lawsuits and disputes, and presidential air force one aircraft projects.
Minjeong Kim has more than 20 years of experience in the aviation field, working for domestic and international airlines and aviation industry-related institutions. Kim has worked for the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB) of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, the Korea Civil Aviation Association, the Lufthansa, and the Emirates Airline. Kim can act as a liaison with both public and private sectors and is well versed in the aviation industry specific language.
Jinsu Jeong, Managing Partner at Yoon & Yang, commenting on this latest recruitment, said: “The aviation industry is gradually recovering from the pandemic, and the outlook for the aircraft finance sector is also expected to be bright. Starting with this recruitment, Yoon & Yang will further strengthen our practical expertise to provide the best legal services to our major clients.”
Yoon & Yang is one of the leading law firms in South Korea, providing the highest quality legal services in corporate affairs, international transactions, and all areas of litigation. It has offices in Seoul, Tashkent, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Jakarta.