[Law Firms Now] LKB Pyeongsan Launches International Center... Representative Attorney Hwang Woojin, an "International Affairs Expert," Appointed as Head

Establishing Four Specialized Teams in Criminal, Commercial, Arbitration, and Family Law

LKB Pyeongsan Law Firm has launched an International Center to proactively respond to the recent sharp increase in cross-border disputes and global legal needs. The center will be headed by Representative Attorney Hwang Woojin (32nd Judicial Research and Training Institute class), who was well known within the prosecution service as an expert in international affairs.

On the 25th, LKB Pyeongsan announced that it had officially launched the International Center and established a structure of four specialized teams in the fields of international criminal law, international commercial law, international arbitration, and international family law.

From left: Hwang Ujin, Representative Attorney (Center Director) of the LKB Pyeongsan Law Firm International Center; Lee Jinseo, Partner Attorney; Jung Dami, Partner Attorney; Jeon Anna, Representative Attorney; Kang Duri, Partner Attorney; Kim Gangdae, CEO. LKB Pyeongsan Law Firm

The LKB Pyeongsan International Center is a dedicated organization that comprehensively handles international legal issues, including international investigations, commercial matters, arbitration, and family law. Its characteristic feature is a structure in which attorneys with field-specific expertise and extensive practical experience collaborate organically. The center aims to provide comprehensive legal services throughout the entire process, from the initial risk assessment stage to dispute resolution procedures.

Representative Attorney Hwang Woojin, who has been recognized for his expertise in international crime investigations and international legal affairs during his tenure at the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution service as an "international affairs expert," has been appointed as head of the International Center. Center Head Hwang graduated from the College of Law at Seoul National University and completed the LL.M. program at New York University (NYU) School of Law in the United States. He is also admitted to the New York State Bar.

During his time as a prosecutor, former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Hwang served in key international posts within the prosecution service, including Prosecutor at the International Legal Affairs Division of the Ministry of Justice, Prosecutor at the Foreign Affairs Department (now the International Crime Investigation Department) of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, and Legal Cooperation Officer at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations in New York. In these roles, he led numerous international crime investigations, participated in various FTA negotiations, and handled international legal issues within the government. While serving as Senior Prosecutor at the Foreign Affairs Department of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, he handled cases involving the overseas diversion of tuition funds by well-known foreign schools through offshore paper companies.

While working at the International Legal Affairs Division of the Ministry of Justice, he also contributed to building international legal infrastructure. He led the drafting of domestic implementing legislation and enforcement rules for the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, an international mechanism designed to resolve the problem of children being abducted abroad when international marriages break down, and spearheaded the work to establish the Seoul International Arbitration Center jointly with the Korean Bar Association and the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board.

International Criminal Team: Cross-Border Investigations and Compliance Response

The International Criminal Team is responsible for work including: responses to criminal investigations targeting foreign companies and foreign executives and employees; coordination with foreign investigative agencies, including joint investigations and responses to requests for document submission and information; advising on global corporate compliance and internal investigations; and investigation responses based on IT and digital forensics.

The International Criminal Team, composed of Center Head Hwang; Attorney Yoon Woongul (21st class), who serves as Representative Director of LKB Pyeongsan; Attorney Kim Youngmin (29th class); Attorney Lee Yeji (5th Bar Exam); and Attorney Jung Dami (6th Bar Exam), possesses specialized capabilities even in complex cases that combine digital evidence and international cooperation.

Attorney Yoon, who has served as Director General of the Planning and Coordination Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (Prosecutor General level), Chief Prosecutor of the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office, and Chief Prosecutor of the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office, has experience overseeing major international disputes and corporate cases, including winning international arbitration between Korean and foreign companies and advising on foreign corporate investment. Attorney Kim, a former prosecutor and New York State attorney, served as Head of the Legal Team for the Semiconductor Division at Samsung Electronics, where he oversaw global legal affairs and compliance, and is an expert in international IT investigations and corporate internal controls.

Attorney Lee has successfully handled criminal cases involving executives, employees, and other individuals from foreign companies, while Attorney Jung, a former prosecutor who graduated from Myeongdeok Foreign Language High School and completed a research internship at the Belfer Center at Harvard Kennedy School in the United States, has capabilities in handling international cases in English and French, and has successfully defended numerous criminal cases in which foreign nationals were parties.

From the left: Kang Duri, partner attorney, International Center International Commercial Team, LKB Pyeongsan Law Firm; Kim Kangdae, Chief Executive Officer; Lee Jinseo, partner attorney. LKB Pyeongsan Law Firm

International Commercial Team: Global Transactions, Overseas Expansion, Intellectual Property, and Maritime Expertise

The International Commercial Team provides comprehensive advice on global transactions, including: advisory services on international investment contracts and overseas transaction agreements; support for overseas expansion of K-industries such as sports, culture, and food; advisory services on international patents and global IP strategy; and responses to disputes involving maritime transportation, trade, and logistics. It offers legal services covering the entire life cycle, from contract structuring to dispute resolution.

The team includes Attorney Lee Sungchul (16th class), former Senior Presiding Judge of the Seoul Eastern District Court (Acting Chief Judge) and former Presiding Judge of Civil Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Court; Attorney Jeon Hyunjung (22nd class), a former judge at the International Commerce Division of the Seoul High Court; Attorney Kim Kangdae (28th class), a former presiding judge who has handled numerous international litigation and advisory matters involving foreign companies and foreign nationals; and Attorney Kim Yeonjeong (3rd Bar Exam), a former judicial researcher specializing in international commerce at the Seoul High Court who later worked as an expatriate in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, advising a wide range of overseas companies.

Attorney Lee, a former judge at the International Commerce Division of the Seoul High Court, has been active in the Supreme Court's International Norms Task Force (international commerce and maritime transport) and the Standing International Forum Team on Commercial Courts, and has also served as Chair of the International Commercial Law Practice Study Group at the Seoul Central District Court.

The International Commercial Team is further strengthened by Attorney Lee Jinseo (5th Bar Exam), who holds an LL.M. from the University of Hawaii in the United States and is qualified as a U.S. CPA and International Certified Valuation Specialist; Attorney Lee Yeji, who has extensive experience providing advice across cross-border commercial matters, including global transactions, foreign direct investment (FDI), international contract negotiation and execution, and dispute response; and Attorney Kang Duri (6th Bar Exam), who graduated from Daejeon Foreign Language High School and the Department of English Language and Literature at Yonsei University and has experience in international intellectual property and global events.

LKB Pyeongsan Law Firm, Ungjin-gwan, Seocho-gu, Seoul. LKB Pyeongsan Law Firm

International Arbitration Team: ISDS and International Commercial Arbitration; International Family Law Team: International Divorce and Inheritance

The International Arbitration Team is a dedicated organization that handles: representation and advisory work in investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS); international commercial arbitration cases; and the recognition, enforcement, and follow-up procedures of arbitral awards. It broadly represents governments, public institutions, domestic and foreign companies, and investors.

The team includes Attorney Jeon Hyunjung, a former presiding judge who has served as an international arbitrator in both international and domestic arbitration cases and as Auditor of the International Health Technology Research Foundation (RIGHT Foundation); Attorney Lee Sungchul, who has served as a Chair Arbitrator at the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board; and Center Head Hwang Woojin.

The International Family Law Team specializes in cross-border family law disputes, including: child return litigation under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction; international divorce and division of international property; international disputes over parental authority and child custody; and recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. It has a system for swift and specialized responses to cases that combine urgency with the interpretation of international conventions.

The team includes Attorney Jeon Anna (34th class), a former specialist judge in juvenile and family cases and former Presiding Judge at the Seoul Family Court; Attorney Jung Sunggyun (36th class), a former specialist judge in juvenile and family cases at the Seoul Family Court and former Presiding Judge of the Family Court, who has expertise in international family law adjudication; Attorney Lee Yeji, who has handled cross-border family disputes such as international divorce, inheritance, custody, and Hague child return cases and has experience designing comprehensive solutions focused on speed and international enforceability by considering jurisdiction, applicable law, and enforceability; and Attorney Kang Duri, who has experience in international divorce and refugee cases.

Attorney Jeon, who graduated from the Department of English Language and Literature at Sogang University, has handled numerous cases in which international inheritance and the jurisdiction over international divorce were key issues, and has successfully represented clients in child return cases under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

From left: Hwang Woojin, Managing Attorney (Center Director) of the International Family Team, International Center at LKB Pyeongsan Law Firm; Jeon Anna, Managing Attorney; Kang Duri, Partner Attorney. LKB Pyeongsan Law Firm

International Center Head Hwang Woojin stated, "The increase in international disputes is not merely an increase in the number of cases; it reflects a historical trend in which our society and corporate activities have become organically connected with the rest of the world," adding, "Accordingly, international cases require sophisticated and responsible responses, premised on a deep understanding of the differing systems and cultures of each country."

Center Head Hwang went on to say, "The International Center plans to combine accumulated public-sector experience with private-sector practical capabilities to present strategic solutions that not only protect the rights and interests of our clients but also meet global standards and earn trust," and added, "By establishing integrated strategies at the center level based on the specialized expertise of each member, we will provide integrated and sophisticated legal services across all stages, from the initial advisory phase to final dispute resolution."

LKB Pyeongsan plans to use the launch of the International Center as an opportunity to further strengthen its capabilities in handling international disputes and global transactions. It also intends to continuously expand the provision of strategic and specialized international legal services to corporate, governmental and public institutions, and individual clients.

LKB Pyeongsan, which was launched last year through the merger of LKB & Partners, a law firm that had been known as a "powerhouse in litigation" in the domestic legal market with many former judges, and Pyeongsan, a law firm led primarily by former prosecutors, is staffed with numerous attorneys who previously served as judges and prosecutors. They include former High Court Presiding Judge Lee Gwangbeom, who chairs the board (also known for serving as Special Prosecutor in the Naegok-dong private residence case), former Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Chief Prosecutor Kang Chanwoo, former Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office Chief Prosecutor and current Representative Director Yoon Woongul, and former Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Heejun.