Technology, Media, Telecoms (TMT) | Asia-Pacific

Kim & Chang fields a substantial TMT legal team in South Korea which is experienced in handling licensing and regulatory matters, as well as cross-border investments and domestic M&A and private equity transactions. The practice is also equipped to advise on reviews and investigations initiated by KFTC and KCC, among others. The team regularly enlists talent from the regulators and government agencies. Its areas of expertise include data privacy, cloud computing and big data. Kim & Chang maintains a focus on the online gaming, mobile and e-commerce sectors and is valued by clients for its assured handling of the most complex issues. Its clients include Entegris, Microsoft and Yanolja.

Lee & Ko moves into the top band this year following market endorsement. Its notable TMT department serves an impressive roster of global telecommunications and ITC companies and national mobile providers. The team acts on significant transactional and contentious matters concerning mobile banking, e-commerce and broadcasting, including mandates involving fintech, cloud computing issues and retransmission disputes. The law firm routinely advises on regulatory issues for government agencies and regulators and is also well equipped to handle data protection and privacy issues. Its diverse clientele includes e-commerce companies and platform service and content providers, with examples including Google Korea, Naver and T-Map Mobility.

The market-leading TMT legal team at Shin & Kim maintains a specialised data privacy and online security offering in addition to its coverage of broader IT matters in South Korea. The group has a wealth of experience on disputes, particularly in the broadcasting sector, and a strong offering with regard to policy advisory. The team also handles a range of regulatory and transactional mandates and is significantly developing its expertise in the areas of government relations and cutting-edge communication and broadcasting technologies. It acts for a number of clients operating in the telecoms and e-commerce sectors such as Coupang Pay, NS Shopping as well as regulators.

Bae, Kim & Lee has a longstanding TMT legal practice in South Korea. The team maintains solid relationships with telecommunications companies, broadcasting enterprises, various online businesses and regulatory authorities. It assists major companies with licensing matters and regulatory investigations as well as data privacy and data protection issues. The firm also offers significant experience of fintech issues and is able to advise clients operating within the social media and e-commerce spheres. The group demonstrates the capability to support clients in litigation as well as on non-contentious matters. Its key clients include Spotify, Korea Internet Corporations Association and KT.

Yulchon has a well-reputed advisory practice in South Korea which is well equipped to handle a broad spectrum of TMT legal work. The team embraces complex regulatory matters, M&A transactions, data privacy issues and licence applications. The practice is also increasingly active in matters related to emerging technologies including artificial intelligence. It advises major national telecommunications companies, new entrants to the market and household-name multinational IT companies, such as KT, Naver and LG HelloVision.

Yoon & Yang houses a team of specialists advising on legal work in the TMT space. It handles regulatory, transactional and contentious matters, and has notable expertise in data protection and privacy matters. The team advises a number of Korean and foreign corporations and entities, including Google, Cyworld Z and Microsoft Korea.