Young Suk Park

Practice Areas

Mr. Young Suk Park, a partner at Shin & Kim, is recognized as one of the leading lawyers in the field of international arbitration, providing top-tier advice based on his extensive and diverse experience in both domestic and international disputes and transactions.

Mr. Park has practiced law for around 20 years, with a diverse range of experience in not only disputes but also in a variety of transactions. He has served as the General Counsel and the Executive Director of Atinum Partners, a Seoul and Singapore-focused investment house, serving on its investment committee. He has been involved in investments and transactions across a variety of industries including energy, natural resources, real estate, buy-outs, start-ups and public equity. Additionally, Mr. Park has acted as the statutory auditor for Atinum Investment, a publicly listed venture capital investment subsidiary of Atinum Partners.

Mr. Park has nearly 18 years of experience in international arbitration. He started his private practice at Kim & Chang’s International Arbitration Practice Group, specializing in international arbitration and cross-border litigation for around a decade. Prior to joining Shin & Kim, Mr. Park was the head of the International Dispute Resolution Team at KL Partners, the first boutique of its kind in Korea specializing in international arbitration.

Mr. Park is actively involved in the arbitration community. He founded and was the inaugural chair of the Arbitration Committee of the Korea In-house Counsel Forum (IHCF), an organization devoted to professional training and development of in-house counsel and enhancing in-house practice. Mr. Park also serves on multiple arbitral committees. He is on the KCAB’s Panel of International Arbitrators, Vice Chair of the Korea Council for International Arbitration (KOCIA), a member of the Management Committee of the Seoul International Dispute Resolution Center (SIDRC) and a member of the Commercial Arbitration Support-Committee of the Ministry of SME’s Korea Federation of SMEs.

Mr. Park was nominated as a "Leading Individual" in Dispute Resolution: Arbitration from 2023 to 2025 by Chambers Global/Chambers Asia, where clients describe him as “one of the most reliable lawyers I have ever met” and as counsel with “a phenomenal level of attention to details and a deep understanding and experience in cross-border disputes”. Mr. Park is also listed as a “Leading Lawyer” by Who’s Who Legal, where he is recognized for his “great business acumen” and “strong advocacy skills” in high-value disputes (2024). He is also nominated in The Legal 500 as a “Next Generation Partner” from 2022 to 2023.

Career

Panel of International Arbitrators, KCAB International (2024-Present)

Shin & Kim LLC (2023-Present)

Member, Commercial Arbitration Committee, Korea Federation of SMEs (2020-Present)

Vice President, Korea Council for International Arbitration (KOCIA) (2020-Present)

Arbitrator, The Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (KCAB) (2018-Present)

Integrity Ombudsman, Korea Development Bank (2020-2023)

KL Partners (2018-2023)

Statutory Auditor, Atinum Investment (2016-2021)

Director, Chair of Arbitration Committee, In-house Counsel Forum (IHCF) (2016-2018)

General Counsel/Executive Director, Atinum Partners (2014-2018)

Foreign Attorney, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP (NY) (2012-2013)

Kim & Chang (2005-2014)

Judicial Research & Training Institute, Supreme Court of Korea (2003-2005)

Professional Memberships

Korean Bar

California Bar

Publications

The Legal 500 Country Comparative Guides – International Arbitration 2024: Korea Chapter (Co-authored)

Education

Work Highlights

[Arbitration]

Represented a global cryptocurrency exchange in ICC arbitration arising out of a joint venture agreement dispute

Represented a Korean manufacturing company in a dispute involving a construction contract against a Taiwanese company

Represented Korean construction companies in dispute arising out of different supply contract against a Philippine energy company

Represented a Korean manufacturing company in a dispute arising from a sale and purchase agreement against a Hong Kong company under JAMS rules

Represented a Swiss company against a Korean construction company in an international arbitration in relation to a construction project in the Mid-East

Represented multiple Korean construction companies against a Vietnam state-owned company in an ICC arbitrations in relation to construction projects in Vietnam

Represented a Korean construction and petrochemical company against an Indian state-owned company in international arbitrations under UNCITRAL rules in relation to a plant construction project in India

Represented multiple Korean parties against a German-based shipbuilding company in ICC arbitrations

Represented a Korean construction company against a US real estate developer in international arbitration and litigation proceedings

Represented a Chinese subsidiary of a Korean game company against a PRC company with respect to an arbitration in relation to a license dispute

Represented a Korean health care group against PRC entities in relation to JV disputes in China, involving multiple arbitrations in China

Represented a major US private equity fund in an investor-state arbitration (UNCITRAL) against the Republic of Korea in connection with the merger of Korean company affiliates

Represented a major US private equity fund in an investor-state arbitration (UNCITRAL) against the Republic of Korea in connection with its investment in a Korean company

Represented a Korean game company in a KCAB arbitration relating to a dispute arising from a license agreement

Represented a Korean private equity, Korean securities institution and others against a PRC financial institution with respect to a post-M&A arbitration

Represented Canada’s Bombardier and Korea’s Daelim again Yongin City, Korea, in relation to a rail project, securing a USD 700 million award

Represented a US oil company in an investment arbitration under the rules of the ICSID Convention and the NAFTA in relation to oil exploration in Canada

Represented a Korean heat equipment manufacturer in an arbitration under the rules of the Netherlands Arbitration Institute in the Hague in relation to a technology license dispute governed by Dutch law

Represented a Korean automobile manufacturer in back-to-back ICC arbitrations in Paris and Singapore involving indemnification claims for pre-M&A-related damages of over USD 200 million

Represented an Austria-based company in an arbitration before the Zurich Chambers of Commerce in Zurich in relation to disputes arising out of multiple agreements related to joint venture, license and distribution

Represented a Belgium-based construction company in an ICC arbitration in Seoul in relation to disputes arising out of a construction agreement

Represented an Indian mineral company in an arbitration before the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board in relation to a breach of contract claim

Represented a Korean leading conglomerate and two foreign financial institutions in one of the largest ICC arbitrations in New York involving a Korean party relating to a multi-billion dollar M&A transaction

Represented a German-based automobile parts manufacturer in a SIAC arbitration in Singapore in relation to disputes under a share purchase agreement and technology transfer agreement with Korean and German laws as governing laws

[Others]

Obtained and refinanced reserve base loan of approx. USD 300 million for unconventional oil and gas upstream project in Pennsylvania, USA, involving export credit agencies

Obtained government trade insurance related to overseas resource projects of approx. USD 300 million

Involved in investment related to Daesung Industrial Co., Ltd. with a successful exit at an over a billion-dollar valuation