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Partner
| TEL |
+82-2-6386-6358 |
| E-MAIL |
gubeom.kwon@leeko.com |
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Gu Beom Kwon is a partner at Lee & Ko’s Corporate Practice Group. Since joining Lee & Ko in 2017, he has specialized in M&A and corporate law, advising on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), corporate restructuring, corporate governance and foreign investment for companies across a wide range of industries.
Mr. Kwon has extensive experience not only in share purchase and business transfer transactions, but also in various forms of corporate restructuring, including the establishment of joint venture companies, mergers, spin-offs, comprehensive share swaps and contributions in kind. His M&A advisory experience also spans companies engaged in a wide variety of industries, including semiconductors, construction, gas, smelting, automobiles and auto parts, distribution, retail, bio and transportation.
Based on his extensive M&A experience, Mr. Kwon was selected as the No. 1 “Power Lawyer” among junior lawyers in M&A legal advisory by the Korea Economic Daily in 2022, and has been recognized as a ‘Rising Star Partner’ for M&A by IFLR1000 (International Financial Law Review) since 2023.
Education
| 2025 |
Completed Financial Law Course (17th class), Seoul National University School of Law |
| 2024 |
Passed New York State bar examination |
| 2024 |
University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law – LL.M. |
| 2014 |
Judicial Research & Training Institute, Supreme Court of Korea |
| 2014 |
Seoul National University, College of Law - LL.B., Cum Laude |
| 2011 |
Passed the 53rd Korean bar examination |
Work Experience
| 2017-Present |
Lee & Ko |
| Dec 2019-Feb 2020 |
Secondment in Samsung Asset Management |
| 2014-2017 |
Public Service Attorney |
Expertise
| Corporate Restructuring |
| Mergers & Acquisitions |
| Corporate |
| Corporate Governance |
| Foreign Investment |
| Hostile Takeovers · Defense |
| Shareholder Activism |
Admissions & Qualifications
| Admitted to the Korean Bar(2014) |
Languages
Representative Matters
[Merger & Acquisitions]
- Hahn & Company’s sale of Korean Air C&D Service
- LS MnM’s Investment in PT Teluk Metal Industry, an Indonesian Non-Ferrous Metal Manufacturer
- SK Airplus’ spin-off of its M15 business and issuance of RCPS
- Share swap between SK Square/SK Telecom and IonQ involving ID Quatique and IonQ shares
- Ecopro’s acquisition of Indonesia Green Eco Nickel
- Global Sae-A’s acquisition of Ssangyong Engineering & Construction
- SK Materials Airplus’ sale of M16 gas plant assets
- LS Corporation’s acquisition of LS-Nikko Copper from Japan Korea Joint Smelting and issuance of exchangeable bonds to JKL Partners
- CBC Group consortium’s acquisition of Hugel
- Permira Fund consortium’s acquisition of Delivery Hero Korea (Delivery App “Yogiyo”)
- E-Mart’s acquisition of Starbucks Coffee Korea
- Jungheung Group’s acquisition of Daewoo Engineering & Construction
- Kolon Mobility Group’s acquisition of Autohub Sellcar and Handle
- VIG Partners’ acquisition of PMC, PTC and SNC Solution
- HD Hyundai Oilbank and Tenet Equity Partners’ acquisition of Daekyung O&T
- Kolon Mobility Group’s sale of Kolon Auto
- Zuellig Pharma’s acquisition of Cialis business unit
- Global Sae-A’s acquisition of minority shares in Ssangyong Engineering & Construction
- SK Broadband’s acquisition of Pangyo data center business
- H&Q Korea’s acquisition of T&F Global
- Lotte Card’s sale of Loca Mobility
- SK Telecom’s sale of shares in Hana Card / Finnq / SK Square to Hana Financial Group and purchase of shares in Hana Financial Group
- Affirma Capital’s acquisition of Series B CCPS and Convertible Bonds of Beam Mobility Holdings
- Hyosung's sale of Hyosung Capital
- Individual shareholders’ sale of shares in CJ Olive Young
- Carlyle Group's sale of ADT Caps
- Individual shareholders’ sale of Kwangjin Chemical and The K Logitech
- Comprehensive share swap between Foosung and Hantech
- Toyota Tsusho’s acquisition of newly issued shares in Sama Alluminium
- Greenwich PE’s acquisition of Sun jin Woonsu
- T Map Mobility’s acquisition of Banaple and Logisoft
- Merger between SK Broadband and Tbroad
- Hyundai Oilbank’ sale of Hyundai Oil Terminal
- Foosung Global’s issuance of Bonds with Warrants to Heimdall PE
- SK’ investment into Standigm
- South Korea rapper/producer Zico's sale of KOZ Entertainment
- Merger between ADT Caps and ADT Security
- Kamur Partners' acquisition of Razzler
- SK Networks' acquisition of SK Telink's secondhand phone business
- SK Materials' acquisition of Hanyu Chemical
- Business transfer of Farm Hannong's crop protection agent distribution business to LG Chem
- LG Household & Health Care's acquisition of Tai Guk Pharm
- Cellivery’s acquisition of Ajin Clean
- Merger between KNX and Il Kwang E&C
- Liquidation of a foreign invested company F
- Squeeze-out of company E's controlling shareholder
- KB Security and other firms’ investment into Megazone Cloud
[Joint Venture]
- Establishment of joint venture Ecovance between SKC, LX International and Daesang
- Establishment of joint venture TL Chemical between Taekwang Industrial and LG Chem
- Establishment of joint venture SK MaterialsJNC between SK Materials and JNC
- Establishment of joint venture KAT between IAI and Hankuk Carbon
- Establishment of joint venture Trans Beverage between Campari and BNC F&B
[Corporate Governance & Shareholder Dispute]
- Defense against shareholder activism for A Plus Asset Advisor
- Defense against minority shareholders’ petition for injunction to inspect accounting books and records of Unichem
- Defense of directors of company S against minority shareholder’s damages claim
- Defense against shareholder activism for company D
- Advice on management rights dispute over Social Louder
Awards & Recognitions
| 2025 |
IFLR1000 35th edition ‘Rising Star Partner’ – M&A |
| 2024 |
IFLR1000 34th edition ‘Rising Star Partner’ – M&A |
| 2023 |
IFLR1000 33rd edition ‘Rising Star Partner’ – M&A |
| 2022 |
Selected as the most "Power Lawyers" among junior lawyers in M&A by the Korea Economic Daily |
Publications / Presentations / ETC
- M&A lectures at SK M&A course (2022, 2023)
- Chambers Global Practice Guides - Corporate M&A 2022: South Korea - Law and Practice section, Trends and Developments section (Co-author, Chambers & Partners, 2023)
- Legal 500 Country Comparative Guides – South Korea: Mergers & Acquisitions (Co-author, The Legal 500, 2023)
- Chambers Global Practice Guides - Corporate M&A 2022: South Korea - Law and Practice section, Trends and Developments section (Co-author, Chambers & Partners, 2022)
- Legal 500 Country Comparative Guides – South Korea: Mergers & Acquisitions (Co-author, The Legal 500, 2022)
- Chambers Global Practice Guides - Corporate M&A 2021: South Korea - Law and Practice section, Trends and Developments section (Co-author, Chambers & Partners, 2021)
- Legal 500 Country Comparative Guides – South Korea: Mergers & Acquisitions (Co-author, The Legal 500, 2021)