About
Provided by Lee & Ko
Lee & Ko’s Capital Markets Practice Group, comprising of more than 70 dedicated professionals, provides legal services on a wide range of matters related to asset management, capital markets transactions and disputes, capital markets regulations & compliance, derivatives, initial public offering (IPO), private equity, venture capital and other special purpose investment funds and securities in both domestic and cross-border contexts.
Our clients take great comfort in the fact that our lawyers in the Group have devoted their career to the capital markets practice and with support from former in-house legal counsel and governors and officials of the capital market regulatory bodies, and that we are able to provide pragmatic yet in-depth and insightful advice which adds real value to our clients’ business. In addition, we work closely with reputable foreign law firms in various transactional and regulatory projects.
Recently, we have been advising on many cases pushing the boundaries of the Korean capital market involving enhanced compliance environment, more ESG products, various fintech products including STO and many other innovative products such as hybrid securities. Also, our practice covers highly specialized areas of regulatory compliance including IT compliance and capital markets disputes involving strengthened investor protection issues.
Chambers Review
Lee & Ko fields a highly reputed capital markets team with strong capabilities in major debt offerings, advising on significant domestic and overseas issuances. It also covers hybrid products and derivatives work combined with notable experience in structured finance. The team has strong expertise in securitisation, including asset-backed bonds and non-performing loans. It is additionally instructed on IPOs and delisting work, acting for domestic and foreign issuers' listing in Korea. Lee & Ko is known for advising on regulatory compliance mandates and derivatives regulations. Its offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City allow the team to advise Korean clients on entry into the Vietnamese market. The firm is recently very active on sustainability bond issuances. Korea National Oil, Lotte Card and Export-Import Bank of Korea are among its roster of clients.
Work Highlights
- Lee & Ko acted for LG Chem on its USD1 billion issuance of 1.375% and 2.375% notes due 2026 and 2031 respectively.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"On top of expertise, Lee & Ko has consistently shown excellent troubleshooting ability and customer-friendly communication skills."
"It is one of the very few firms in Korea that is able to understand the business concerns and commercial aspects of clients. Further, I was very impressed with Lee & Ko's promptness, high level of legal knowledge and expertise."
"On top of expertise, Lee & Ko has consistently shown excellent troubleshooting ability and customer-friendly communication skills."
"It is one of the very few firms in Korea that is able to understand the business concerns and commercial aspects of clients. Further, I was very impressed with Lee & Ko's promptness, high level of legal knowledge and expertise."
Notable Practitioners
Oh Hyun Joo is held in high esteem for her debt capital markets expertise and also advises on a range of securitisation and derivatives transactions. Her experience attracts instructions from many corporations and securities firms.
"Hyun Joo has a dominant market share in Korean debt work. She is very client-oriented and attuned to their needs. She works extremely hard and I very much enjoy working with her."
"She brings the best ideas to solve deadlock on contracts. She makes turnarounds very quickly with fine-tuned analysis, and has excellent expertise."
Hyun Seung-A is recognised for his debt capital markets expertise, and regularly advises government-affiliated entities, corporates and major Korean banks on debt issuances.
"He is very punchy based on his deep expertise, providing clear advice and answers."
"I worked with Seung-A on overseas issuances, and he is very good at handling this type of work."
Kwon Jin-Hong is a well-recognised capital markets lawyer with a focus on securitisation. He is experienced at advising on a range of matters, including receivables-backed bonds and non-performing loan sales.
"He is one of the few leading lawyers in the Korean market who has carried out securitisation deals when such deals were not as familiar and present in the market. Based on his experience, he has deep knowledge and specialist expertise in this field. He is very dedicated to clients and his advice always exceeds my expectations."
Ranked Lawyers at
Lee & Ko
South Korea
Members
Provided by Lee & Ko
Je Won Lee
Jun Woo Cho
Sangmin Kim
Seung Hoon Choi
Seung-A Hyun
Sun Young Yang
Wonkyu Han