Department profile

Corporate/M&A

Asia-Pacific Guide 2026 : South Korea

Rankings

Ranked Individuals

About

Provided by Kim & Chang

Kim & Chang is the preeminent law firm in Korea for Mergers & Acquisitions and is regularly recognized with top industry awards. The lawyers and other professionals in Kim & Chang’s M&A Practice offer unrivaled expertise in all aspects of domestic, cross-border, private and public M&A transactions, including joint ventures, for a broad client base including strategic investors, private equity funds and financial institutions.

Kim & Chang offers a full range of legal services encompassing from the pre-deal to post-transaction stages, providing innovative solutions tailored to each transaction. Our M&A Practice consists of seasoned lawyers qualified in Korea and other jurisdictions throughout the world, including the US, Europe and China, and is well-equipped to handle industry-specific issues to ensure that our clients receive the highest quality service.

Kim & Chang’s clients also benefit from our integrated, whole-firm approach, which enables our M&A Practice to tackle complex issues that may arise in the course of a transaction by working closely with numerous attorneys and advisors in various practice groups, including acquisition financing, antitrust, restructuring, tax, intellectual property, labor, regulatory and compliance.

Key Services:

Transaction Structuring

Due Diligence

Transaction Documents

Closing

PMI (Post-Merger Integration)

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Corporate/M&A - South Korea

Band 1

What the Team is Known For

Kim & Chang has a market-leading practice that is celebrated for its outstanding capabilities in corporate law and frequently praised for its deep bench of industry experts with government experience. It handles high-profile sales, acquisitions and joint venture projects on behalf of top-tier local and international clients from a diverse range of industries. Its first-hand knowledge of various industries equips the team to offer industry-specific advice on M&A transactions. The team is supported by other practices within the firm, including tax, corporate restructuring and litigation, enabling the bench to provide a comprehensive and holistic service to clients. It offers European, Vietnamese and Japanese practice groups, each consisting of several members.

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Work Highlights

Provided by Chambers

Kim & Chang advised SK E&S on its USD7.75 billion merger with SK innovation.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

The team is very responsive and good at both Korean and English.
Corporate/M&A respondentAsia-Pacific
Kim & Chang provide quick answers and have diverse internal and external networks and unmatched professionalism. Unlike ordinary lawyers, they take care of the commercial part thoroughly.
Corporate/M&A respondentAsia-Pacific

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

Eminent Practitioners
Eminent Practitioners
Jong Koo Park
Jong Koo Park retains his position as a distinguished lawyer in the field. He has impressive expertise acting for corporate and private equity clients on domestic and cross-border deals.
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Band 1
Band 1
Sang Jin Han
Sang Jin Han is a highly esteemed lawyer and retains a longstanding position in the market. He is highly active and works with a range of Korean and international clients, including private equity funds and conglomerates.
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Band 1
Band 1
Young Man Huh
Young Man Huh is widely revered in the market as a top-tier transactional lawyer. His practice includes handling acquisitions on behalf of corporations and private equity clients.
Young Man analyses the problem with in-depth thinking and provides useful and practical feedback and legal advice. He has always been professional and understands our needs.
Corporate/M&A respondentAsia-Pacific
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Band 2
Band 2
Jong Hyun Park
Jong Hyun Park is experienced in advising on corporate matters, including joint ventures, mergers and share acquisitions. He counts domestic and international private equity houses and companies among his clientele.
Jong Hyun's focus and commercial understanding are exceptional.
Corporate/M&A respondentAsia-Pacific
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Band 3
Band 3
Sun Yul Lee
Sun Yul Lee acts on a variety of sales and acquisitions, and specialises in cross-border matters. He is noted for his sector specialism in real estate.
He has a good understanding of the law, client needs and how to balance risks with creative solutions.
Corporate/M&A respondentAsia-Pacific
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Band 4
Band 4
Bo Yong Ahn
Bo Yong Ahn maintains his well-regarded profile in the corporate/M&A market. He has experience acting for international clients on notable M&A transactions.
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Band 4
Band 4
Hyeon Deog Cho
Hyeon Deog Cho focuses on corporate governance, transformation, distressed M&A and acquisition financing.
He is a very well known corporate governance lawyer.
Corporate/M&A respondentAsia-Pacific
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Band 4
Band 4
Myoung Jae Chung
Myoung Jae Chung is an attorney at Kim & Chang's investment management practice. He focuses on cross-border M&A transactions, in addition to boasting a noted capital markets practice.
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