[Law Firm Now] Law Firm YK Recruits 'Tax Law Expert' Lawyer Han Mansu... Rises to 7th Place in Industry by Number of Lawyers

Tax Group Launched... Elevating Tax Sector Competitiveness to Industry's Top Level
Kwon Soon-il, Bae Seong-beom, Kim Jeong-heon, Lee In-seok, Bae In-gu... Continuing to Recruit Heavyweight Figures
CEO Kang Kyung-hoon Drives Rapid Growth with Aggressive Management

On the 15th, Law Firm YK held an event at its main office in Gangnam, Seoul, to celebrate the hiring of its 300th lawyer along with the recruitment of Chief Attorney Mansu Han. (From left) Chief Attorney Kyunghoon Kang, Chief Attorney Mansu Han. Photo by Law Firm YK

Last year, Law Firm YK recorded sales of 80.3 billion KRW, surpassing Law Firm Dongin to enter the top 10 law firms. They have recruited attorney Han Mansu (Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 13), who is recognized as one of the leading tax law experts and has served as president of the Korean Tax Law Association, as their representative attorney.

With Representative Attorney Han joining as the 300th lawyer, YK has risen to become the 7th largest law firm in the industry by number of attorneys. As of the 16th, YK employs a total of 303 lawyers, including former judges and prosecutors who have become private attorneys.

On this day, Law Firm YK (Representative Attorneys Kang Kyunghun and Kim Beomhan) announced the appointment of Attorney Han as representative attorney.

YK plans to leverage the recruitment of Representative Attorney Han to strengthen its tax group by adding tax accountants, certified public accountants, and partner-level attorneys, raising its competitiveness in the tax field to the highest level in the industry.

Representative Attorney Han is widely recognized as the top authority in tax law, having provided tax advisory services for over 20 years at Kim & Chang and Law Firm Yulchon, and was even listed as a candidate for Commissioner of the National Tax Service. Since 1998, he has served as an advisor to the Ministry of Finance and Economy’s Taxation Office, a member of the Ministry of Finance’s Tax System Development Committee, a non-standing judge at the Tax Tribunal, and a member of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance’s Tax System Development Committee, participating in government tax reform efforts.

He graduated from Gyeongbuk National University High School and Seoul National University’s College of Law. While still in university in 1980, he passed the 22nd Judicial Examination and began working at Kim & Chang in 1984. In 1996, he joined as a founding member of Yulchon, leading the tax team before returning to Kim & Chang.

He was also the key figure behind major overseas corporate sales and mergers & acquisitions (M&A), including the sale of Lehman Brothers’ non-performing loans at Woori Bank and the sale of Seoul Finance Center to the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC).

After serving as an associate professor at Hanyang University Law School, he taught students at Ewha Womans University Law School for over 10 years starting in 2007, dedicating himself to tax law research and training future legal professionals.

Notably, his book, Corporate Restructuring Tax Law Theory (published in 1999), which was the first comprehensive study on taxation systems related to corporate restructuring in Korea, is recognized for its expertise and is used as a textbook in universities. His textbook Tax Law Lecture, which he has authored annually since 2009, is frequently cited by scholars and tax law practitioners.

Representative Attorney Han Mansu stated, "It feels like standing on a new horizon in a new land. I will do my best to make YK a first-class law firm based on the knowledge and experience I have accumulated so far," adding, "I hope all members of YK will embrace the spirit of the founder and grow together with YK."

Meanwhile, YK entered the top 10 law firms last year with sales of 80.3 billion KRW. It currently has over 300 lawyers, including former judges and prosecutors. The firm operates 29 branch offices nationwide directly and plans to open 10 more branch offices within the year in locations such as Seongnam and Dongtan in Gyeonggi Province.

YK, which made its debut in the top 10 law firms by sales this year, is rapidly growing under the aggressive management style of Representative Attorney Kang Kyunghun, who has continuously recruited heavyweight figures across various fields.

Following the recruitment of former Supreme Court Justice Kwon Soonil as representative attorney in May, last month they appointed former Seoul Central District Prosecutor and former head of the Judicial Research and Training Institute Bae Seongbeom (Senior Prosecutor) as criminal affairs representative attorney. This month, they also attracted attention by recruiting Attorney Kim Junghun, a former chief prosecutor of the Economic Crime Investigation Division 2 at Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office. While serving as a prosecutor, Attorney Kim received the Prosecutor General’s Award twice for his investigative achievements in areas such as virtual assets, economic crimes, and drug cases.

Other notable recent recruits include Attorney Lee Inseok, a former criminal review officer at the Court Administration Office and co-head of the Fair Trade Group at Law Firm Kwangjang, and Attorney Bae Ingu of Logos, who represented SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won in his divorce litigation.

Han Mansu, the representative lawyer who joined Law Firm YK as the 300th attorney.
Photo by Law Firm YK

◆Profile of Representative Attorney Han Mansu

▲ Born in 1958 in Jinju, Gyeongnam ▲ Graduated from Gyeongbuk National University High School ▲ Graduated from Seoul National University College of Law ▲ Graduated from Seoul National University Graduate School of Law ▲ Graduated from Washington State University School of Law (USA) ▲ Ph.D. in Law (Seoul National University) ▲ Passed the 22nd Judicial Examination ▲ Completed Judicial Research and Training Institute (Class 13) ▲ Kim & Chang Law Office ▲ Law Firm Yulchon ▲ President of the Korean Tax Law Association ▲ Standing Advisor at Deloitte Anjin Accounting Firm ▲ Member of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance Tax System Development Committee ▲ International Director of the Korean Bar Association ▲ Associate Professor at Hanyang University College of Law ▲ Professor at Ewha Womans University College of Law ▲ Founding Member of the National Future Research Institute’s Law and Politics Division ▲ Director of Ewha Womans University Law Research Institute ▲ Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Finance and Economy Taxation Office ▲ Former examiner for Judicial Examination, Bar Examination, Certified Tax Accountant Examination, and Customs Broker Examination