Daehoon Koo

Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Restructuring, Corporate Governance, Private Equity, Foreign Investment

●2009-Present Lee & Ko ●2023-Present Member of the Legal Advisory Committee for Industrial Technology Security of the KAITS ●2020-2022 Member of the Specialty Registration Review Committee of the KBA ●2019-2022 Member of the Industrial Technology Dispute Conciliation Committee ●2014-2015 Sullivan & Cromwell LLP (Visiting Lawyer) ●2006-2009 Judge Advocate Officer, Korean Navy

Korean Bar Association, California Bar Association

●Chambers Global Practice Guide on Private Equity: South Korea – Law & Practice (Co-author, Chambers & Partners, 2021~2024) ●Country Comparative Guide on Private Equity: South Korea (Co-author, The Legal 500, 2019~2024) ●Private Mergers and Acquisitions in South Korea: overview (Co-author, Practical Law, Thompson Reuters, 2016 - 2022) ●Chambers Global Practice Guides on Corporate M&A: South Korea - Law & Practice section (Co-author, Chambers & Partners, 2019 & 2020) ●Corporation Law Commentary (Co-author, Bobmunsa, 2019. 2.)

Daehoon Koo is a partner in the Corporate and M&A Practice Group. His primary practice areas include Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Restructuring, Corporate Governance, Private Equity and Foreign Investment.

Mr. Koo has wide range of experience in most types of M&A and restructuring transactions including not only typical types of transactions such as stock or asset deals, joint ventures, mergers, spin-offs and any combination thereof but also relatively rare types of transactions such as comprehensive share swaps, establishing holding companies, tender offers, P&As, in-kind contributions, etc.

Mr. Koo has rich experience in due diligences and M&A transactions in many different type of industries including semiconductor, electric vehicle parts, mobility, distribution, logistics, port management, IT, ICT, bio, F&B, H&B industry and he also has been involved in M&A transactions of most types of financial institutions including financial holding companies, commercial banks, insurance companies, securities and investment companies, asset management companies, mutual savings banks and lending businesses.

He was ranked No. 1 Rising Star among M&A lawyers with 10 years or less experience by Korea Economic Daily in 2013. In 2018, he was named one of Asian Legal Business' ‘40 under 40.’ In 2024, he was honored as ‘Dealmaker of the Year’ at the ALB Korea Law Awards and ‘Lawyer of the Year’ by Legal Times. After completing LL.M. in USC Gould School of Law (2013-2014), he was also admitted to the California bar (2014), and worked at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP as a Visiting Lawyer (2014/2015). Prior to joining Lee & Ko in 2009, Mr. Koo served the military for 3 years as a Military Prosecutor and Procurement Contract Reviewer of the Naval Logistics Command (2006/2007), the Staff Judge Advocate of the 2nd Fleet Command (2007/2008) and a Litigator representing the Korean Government, the Ministry of National Defense and the Defense Minister in civil and administrative cases related to Korean Navy (2008).

USC Gould School of Law

LL.M

2013 - 2014

Seoul National University

B.A. in Study of Religion

1998 - 2004

Ranked Lawyers

Chambers Asia-Pacific

2025

Next Generation Partners

Legal 500 Asia-Pacific edition

2025

Dealmaker of the Year

ALB Korea Law Awards

2024

Lawyer of the Year

Legal Times

2024

Leading Lawyers

IFLR 1000

2025

Leading Lawyers

Legal Times

2022

Power Lawyers

Korea Economic Daily

2021

40 Under 40

Asia LegalBusiness

2018

No. 1 Rising Star among M&A lawyers with 10 years or less experience

Korea Economic Daily

2013