Our Korea practice is dedicated to helping clients navigate the fast-changing legal landscape as they pursue growth in Korea and internationally. Our team advises both Korean companies doing business overseas and international clients doing business in Korea, providing strategic local support and seamless access to our global resources. With more than 25 Korean-speaking attorneys throughout the firm, we advise clients in the areas of M&A, capital markets, technology transactions, leveraged finance, IP and commercial litigation, IP licensing, and white collar crime.

Client Successes

• Represented HYBE (formerly Big Hit Entertainment) in the US$1B acquisition of Ithaca Holdings, a fully integrated media company with interests across music, tech, film, television, brands and culture.

• Represented Samsung Electronics in its US$8B acquisition of Harman International Industries, Inc.

• Represented Hanwha Systems in its US$345M IPO and listing on the Korea Exchange.

• Represented underwriters in the US$1B GDR offering by Kakao Corp—the largest overseas-listed equity offering by a Korean issuer in a decade.

• Represented Samsung in a complex action against NuCurrent Inc., which involves trade secrets misappropriation, breach of contract and patent infringement.

• Represented Lotte Chemical Corporation, a member company of the Lotte Group and previously known as Honam Petrochemical, on a significant trade secrets litigation victory in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama Northern Division.

• Successfully defended Samsung Electronics in a high-stakes case involving alleged misappropriation of augmented reality technology and patent infringement. The Paul Hastings team won a sweeping dismissal of claims under the RICO Act, the Lanham Act, the California Uniform Trade Secrets Act (CUTSA), and New York trade secret law, and subsequently convinced the Northern District of California to strike the plaintiff's infringement allegations, successfully driving an end to the matter.

• Represented Kolon Industries in securing a favorable trade secrets decision before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

• Represented Korean Air in two high-profile class action lawsuits in federal courts in New York and Los Angeles alleging price-fixing in the setting of cargo shipping and passenger rates. After several years of litigation, which included complex class certification questions, cross-border discovery involving millions of pages of produced documents, depositions worldwide, and novel damages issues, Paul Hastings successfully resolved both class action matters on favorable terms, as well as several related opt-out actions.
  

Full-Service Capabilities Across Transactions and Disputes

We have represented multinational companies, financial institutions, and institutional investors in numerous best-in-class transactions in Korea, as well as in the successful resolution of cross-border disputes, focusing on corporate law, M&A and joint ventures, private equity, capital markets, real estate and NPL transactions, and leveraged finance.

As a multidisciplinary international law firm, Paul Hastings has a deep bench of experienced lawyers across practices and jurisdictions, with robust capabilities in:

• Capital Markets: We represent issuers and underwriters on equity and debt capital raisings, including public and private equity and debt financings, secured financings, and distressed debt trading.

• Corporate: We advise Korea-based and multinational clients on cross-border mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures.

• Litigation: We help protect our clients’ interests in highly complex cross-border disputes, including intellectual property and antitrust matters.

• Industry-Specific Solutions: We serve a broad range of clients across industries, in particular energy, life sciences, technology, media, and telecommunications.

Recognition for Our Practice

• Ranked the Top Foreign Law Firm in South Korea by Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2006-2020

• Ranked among the Top 10 Most Innovative International Law Firms in the Financial Times Asia-Pacific Innovative Lawyers Report, 2019

• Selected as Top International M&A Law Firm in South Korea by Asia Legal Business M&A League Tables, 2017-2019

• Jong Han Kim was recognized as a Leading Individual (Band 2) for Dispute Resolution: International Firms by Chambers Asia Pacific, 2017

• Awarded Asia M&A Law Firm of the Year by The American Lawyer, 2017

• Awarded South Korea International Law Firm of the Year by Chambers Asia-Pacific, 2016