Law Firm YK announced on June 11 that it has recruited attorney Choi Sungsoo, who has nearly 20 years of practical experience in domestic and international private equity funds (PEFs), foreign investment companies, and overseas investment advisory services.
After completing the 32nd class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, Choi worked at Kim & Chang from 2006 to 2013, focusing on advising domestic and international companies on PEFs and foreign investment. He was involved in advising Shinsegae on the acquisition of Central City, the Yeouido Parc1 development project, and provided real estate investment advisory services for foreign companies such as Temasek and Deutsche Bank.
The Shinsegae Central City acquisition included designing a share acquisition structure worth 1 trillion won and reviewing the necessary approval procedures. Choi was responsible for reviewing investment contracts, coordinating transaction structures, and advising on regulations such as the Foreign Investment Promotion Act. For the Yeouido Parc1 development project, he was involved in investment agreements with foreign developers at the early stages, advising on financing contracts, and addressing legal issues related to the sale and operation of complex assets such as office towers, shopping malls, and hotels.
He also provided advisory services for the entry of foreign investment companies such as Haagen-Dazs, True Religion, Popeyes, Carlyle, MBK, and JKL into the Korean market, as well as advising major private equity funds on domestic investments. In 2011, he earned an MBA from IE Business School in Spain, further strengthening his expertise in the global financial market.
Since 2013, Choi has been active at Law Firm Hyehwa, handling more than 200 cases of overseas PEF, infrastructure, and real estate investment advisory services for domestic pension funds such as Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, EQT Partners, and Goldman Sachs. He also provided investment advisory services for more than 10 cases involving US and European hedge funds, and from 2014 to 2017, he advised SoftBank on domestic venture investments.
Choi has also gained diverse advisory experience in the public sector, serving as chief legal advisor for the National Pension Service, legal counsel for Korea Electric Power Corporation and Korea Railroad Corporation, and as a member of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration's international contracts committee. He also worked as a bankruptcy trustee at the Seoul Bankruptcy Court, handling corporate rehabilitation and bankruptcy matters.
A YK representative stated, "In April, we strengthened our practical capabilities in management rights disputes and hostile mergers and acquisitions (M&A) by recruiting attorney Kang Jingu. With the addition of attorney Choi, we plan to accelerate our efforts to target the private equity fund and M&A legal markets."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
