Yoon & Yang is an independent Korean firm with offices in Seoul, Ho Chi Minh City, Tashkent, Hanoi and Jakarta. The firm is also a member firm of TerraLex and Interlex Group.
Focusses / specialisms
The firm is strongest in the equity and debt capital markets, M&A, and restructuring and insolvency, and is active in finance and private equity.
Key clients
Key clients of the firm include Woori Bank, KEB Hana Bank, KEXIM, IBK, Meritz Securities, Samsung Securities, NH Investment & Securities, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, CLSA, SK Group, Hanwha Group, Hanjin Group, Kogas, KEPCO and Korea South East Power.
Research period review:
33rd edition (2022/2023)
During the research period, the banking and finance team was busy advising domestic and foreign clients on complex regulatory matters and were particularly active in transitions related to project and acquisition financing. Partner Joonho Kim, senior foreign attorney H. K. Helen Sohn, Jason W. Lee, Song Feng Hong joined the firm’s banking and finance team in 2022.
In the capital markets, the firm continued to advise domestic and overseas companies on their IPOs and listings on KRX. The debt capital market team was preoccupied with handling debt work for KEXIM for its issuance of global bonds, including kimchi bonds, samurai bonds and hybrid bonds.
In the corporate sector, the firm kept busy with handling public and private acquisitions including investment through private equity funds. The restructuring team continued to be active advice for both debtors and creditors. Active industry sectors included manufacturing, aviation, energy, and heavy and chemical industries. The firm strengthened its practice with the arrival of partner Jongsang Lee, senior foreign attorneys Sung Jin Ro, Jason W. Lee, and Song Feng Hong to the corporate team in 2022 and 2023.
The project team continued to be active
in the energy and infrastructure industry, including both litigations for energy companies and advisories for energy sectors.
In 2022, Yoon & Yang joined the Asia Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association as an attempt to expand its client basis to foreign securities firms and banks.
Deal highlights:
33rd edition (2022/2023)
KRW116 billion sale of Cosmo Tower.
Soosan Industry’s KRW200 billion IPO on the KOSPI.
BioNote’s KRW234 billion IPO on the KOSPI.
Doosan Enerbility’s $1.9 billion investment in NuScale Power.
The Legoland PF case.
Client feedback: 33rd edition (2022/2023)
Private equity
“Experts with rich relevant experience helped successful investment execution based on careful consideration and expertise.”
M&A
“Their services are very good. The person in charge is attentive and responsive.”
“Highly dedicated and proactive, noticeable investment in continued improvement in quality of service and immediate attention to client's feedback.”
“Feedback is well organised in a timely manner.”
“I am satisfied that they provide professional and in-depth analysis on any issues our company faces. They are also proficient in quickly and accurately understanding our goals and presenting ideas which are helpful to our company, even in untypical deals. I believe it’s because of the extensive experience they have gained over the years. As far as I know, the lawyers I work with, such as Sung-Jin Kim and Hyerim Kang, have accumulated extensive experience in the M&A field and have provided broad legal consultation on diverse types of transactions for clients in various industries.”
“I, as an M&A expert in Korea, believe it is important to work with experts who have various backgrounds when I handle M&A deals. Comprised of accountants, tax attorneys and foreign attorneys as well as Korean attorneys, I believe that Yoon & Yang’s one-stop advice is second to none in the Korean M&A market. In addition, Yoon & Yang’s M&A attorneys have good negotiation skills and a high level of industry knowledge, so that I could close the M&A deals successfully. It is always impressive that they always come up with fast and effective responses to complicated legal issues. Therefore, I will continue to retain Yoon & Yang in the future.”
Dae Sagong
“Extremely dedicated to client satisfaction; proactive and responsive.”
Hyeong Joon Choi
“He is very attentive and responsive. He understands the needs of clients and provides services of very good quality.”
Hyerim Kang
“She has a quick understanding of deal structures and a remarkable ability to anticipate potential issues, so she offers specialised advice on what the company and working-level staff should be mindful of. She is truly impressive in that she is very cool-headed, realistic and objective when it comes to analysing legal issues, yet always friendly and approachable and shares genuine concerns with us, working-level staff, while taking their perspectives into consideration.”
Jung Hwan Lee
“Well experienced and provides comment in a timely manner.”
Kayoung Kim
“Kayoung Kim is a diligent lawyer who puts top priority on satisfying our company’s legal needs. Her responses are very efficient and quick.”
Sung-Jin Kim
“He is consistently responsive and offers prompt and precise analysis of legal issues in any situation. Furthermore, he stands out from other attorneys not only for his precision in a legal standpoint, but also for providing comprehensive legal consultations that take into account both business aspects and what our company ultimately wants. The owner of the company I previously worked for trusted Sung-Jin Kim enough to often seek his advice on business decisions as well.”
