[Spotlight on This Law Firm] Law Firm YK Achieves 154.7 Billion KRW Revenue Last Year, Enters 'Big 7' with 92% Growth Compared to Previous Year

Traditional Strength in Criminal and Litigation Sectors
Rapid Growth in Corporate Litigation and Advisory
Driven by Recruitment of Top Talent

Exterior view of YK Law Firm Gangnam main office.

Law firm YK (representative lawyers Kyunghoon Kang and Beomhan Kim) achieved sales of 154.7 billion KRW last year, successfully entering the top seven law firms in South Korea.

Based on its outstanding competitiveness in the criminal law field, YK has solidified its position by recruiting top talent in various areas such as corporate litigation and advisory, family law, taxation, and labor, rapidly expanding its market dominance and growing its revenue.

According to the legal community on the 5th, YK recorded annual sales of 154.7 billion KRW last year (based on National Tax Service VAT filings). This represents a 92% increase compared to the previous year (80.3 billion KRW), nearly doubling its growth.

The criminal cases and litigation sectors, where YK has traditionally excelled, further strengthened their position with the launch of the Criminal General Group in June last year, following the addition of former Seoul Central District Prosecutor General and former High Prosecutors' Office Chief Prosecutor Seongbeom Bae (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 23).

In particular, YK achieved remarkable growth in corporate litigation and advisory, securing strong competitiveness in corporate cases as well.

The Fair Trade Group stood out notably. Officially launched in May last year, the group is led by Representative Inseok Lee (class 27) and includes lawyers Hosik Jin (class 34), Jaewan Park (class 38), Minseok Hyun (class 39), and advisor Yongman Lee, a former secretary at the Fair Trade Commission. Within just six months, the group led major achievements such as litigation for the return of differential franchise fees and legal advisory for payment gateway (PG) companies related to the Tmon and Wemakeprice incidents, establishing YK as a law firm capable of both defending dominant parties and providing relief to subordinate parties in the fair trade sector.

In the financial sector, YK successfully handled major cases such as legal advisory for large virtual asset exchanges, PEF acquisitions of listed companies, and corporate listings, led by financial crime investigation expert and representative Hosan Yang (class 25), who investigated various corporate corruption and financial cases during his time as a prosecutor; capital markets expert and representative Wonsik Chu (class 26), who worked for over 20 years at Law Firm Kwangjang; and lawyer Jinhong Choi (class 39), formerly of the Financial Supervisory Service. Since last year, they have also been pursuing representative litigation for investors affected by the Hong Kong ELS incident.

The family law, inheritance, and business succession sectors, along with taxation, also played a key role in growth. The Family, Inheritance, and Business Succession Center, led by Representative Ingoo Bae (class 25), provided differentiated legal services addressing complex family disputes and corporate succession issues, including cases involving recognition of infidelity and claims for damages against famous celebrities, as well as responding to an aging society and the opening of a law research institute, demonstrating expertise in these fields.

The Tax Group, led by Group Head Mansoo Han (class 13), achieved results in tax litigation and advisory, including responses to tax audits of real estate companies, lawsuits to cancel corporate tax imposition, and lawsuits to cancel capital gains tax imposition, offering tailored tax solutions for corporate and individual clients and driving growth in the tax sector.

The Labor Serious Accident Center, led by representative lawyers Jinho Lee (class 30) and Inseon Jo (class 40), showed significant achievements in cases involving unfair dismissal and wage disputes against large corporations and government agencies, as well as cases related to the Serious Accident Punishment Act. The Construction and Real Estate Department, centered around representatives Chan Park (class 12), Minseon Byun (class 28), and lawyer Minwoo Lee (2nd Bar Exam), achieved results through collaboration among specialized lawyers in defect lawsuits against construction companies and tenant building delivery lawsuits.

Established in July last year, the Public Policy Research Institute, led by Director Seongsu Kim, a former member of the National Assembly and former Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, along with lawyer Sangyoung Lee (1st Bar Exam), has been recognized for its expertise by proposing legal amendments to create fair market conditions in cooperation with foreign multinational corporations.

Based on this growth, YK has set a goal for this year to simultaneously expand and strengthen its corporate business sector. It plans to enhance competitiveness in corporate litigation and advisory by leveraging the expertise of key talents recruited last year. By introducing a data-driven compensation system to motivate its members, YK aims to maximize organizational capabilities.

Meanwhile, YK currently employs 366 lawyers, including former judges and prosecutors, ranking sixth in the industry. It also directly operates 32 branch offices nationwide.