The Litigation & Arbitration Practice Group of Lee & Ko is widely recognized as having premier litigation and arbitration teams with the leading litigation and arbitration practice in Korea, and for delivering the most optimal outcomes for clients. Our reputation as one of the most reliable and outstanding law firms in the practice areas of litigation and arbitration stems from more than thirty years of experience encompassing representation of foreign and domestic clients in a broad range of litigation matters, and our unrelenting efforts and commitment to provide only top-quality legal services to our clients. Also, our ability to manage high-risk and complex litigation and arbitration cases and to meet the needs of sophisticated clients is a clear reflection of our strong team consisting of specialists of the highest caliber, the size of our practice and our extensive experience in representing clients in a multitude of landmark and leading cases in Korea.

Our Litigation Practice Group is comprised of recognized litigators in a wide range of practice areas with significant trial experience and unparalleled national network, including many former Supreme Court judges, chief judges, real estate experts, construction experts, securities and finance experts, M&A experts, TMT experts and IP experts. Among the most highly-regarded lawyers are Mr. Kyu Hong Lee (a former Supreme Court Justice), Mr. In Soo Kim (a former Chief Judge of the Administrative Court) and Mr. Kwang Joon Kwon {a leading expert in tax and insolvency laws, and a former Chief Judge of the Civil Division No. 50 of the Seoul Central District Court (predecessor to current Insolvency Court) and a former judge for the Tax Tribunal}. Many other key members consist of former judges who held various important and high-level positions in Korean courts across the nation. Also, the Group has a number of former prosecutors who held senior positions such as Mr. Kyung Sik Hong and Mr. Cheol Jun Park both adding to the Group their substantial experience across every segment of criminal litigation (including white collar crimes).

Our International Arbitration & Cross Border Litigation Practice Group, as one of the two law firms that handled the first International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) case in Korea in the late 1980s, has accumulated exceptional track records over the years, with Mr. Yong Suk Yoon, Mr. Yong Seok Ahn and Mr. Sean (Sung Woo) Lim widely recognized as the most outstanding attorneys in the area of international arbitration.

The Litigation & Arbitration Practice Group enjoys a strong track record of involvement in numerous high-profile cases. Through such involvement, we have consistently demonstrated stellar ability and exceptional skills to achieve successful outcomes in all sorts of civil, criminal or commercial disputes in courts and have won many precedent-setting victories in cases that made national headlines.

Expertise

The key practice areas of Lee & Ko’s Litigation & Arbitration Practice Group are as follows:

Administrative Litigation
Antitrust & Competition Litigation
Capital Markets Disputes
Commercial Trusts Disputes
Constitutional Law Disputes
Construction & Real Estate Litigation
Corporate & M&A Litigation
Customs Disputes
Data Protection & Privacy Litigation
Family ∙ Divorce ∙ Estates
Financial Disputes
Healthcare & Pharma Litigation
Insolvency & Rehabilitation Litigation
Insurance ∙ Maritime ∙ Aviation Litigation
International Arbitration & Cross-Border Litigation
Labor & Employment Litigation
Product Liability and Consumer Claims
Technology ∙ Media ∙ Telecommunication Litigation
White Collar Crime

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Major Cases

Lee & Ko has successfully represented clients on many of the historic cases of national interest:

Lee & Ko represented the key government officials (i.e., Chief Economic Adviser and the Minister of Finance) who were indicted on charges that related to the breakout of the Asian financial crisis in late 1990s that forced the nation into a state of panic and economic turmoil. We successfully defended these officials and took a pivotal role in procuring a not guilty verdict for them.

Lee & Ko represented the key government officials on a case that related to the provision of monetary assistance by one of the largest business groups in Korea to North Korea as part of that group’s long-term initiatives aimed at promoting reunification of the Korean Peninsula. The case attracted significant national interest due to the sensitive nature of the issues involved and indictment of the key executives of that group and key government officials for a potential breach of fiduciary duty.

Lee & Ko represented clients on disputes relating to many of Korea’s worst tragedies including (i) Sungsoo Bridge collapse in Seoul in 1994 (which was the biggest tragedy at such time), (ii) Daegu subway fire in 2003 which caused more than a couple of hundred casualties, and (iii) Taean oil spillage in 2007 which marks the largest oil spill (of approximately 12,000 kiloliters) involving a collision between the oil ship and a sea crane.

Lee & Ko represented Korean Air relating to a tragic bombing of its aircraft (KAL 007) in 1987 by a North Korean spy, Hyun-Hee Kim, killing all 115 passengers.