BKL receives 10 awards at ALB Korea Law Awards, including “Deal Firm of the Year,” “Litigation

Bae, Kim & Lee LLC ("BKL") emerged from the ALB
Korea Law Awards 2016 as one of the two biggest winners on the night, receiving
highly coveted awards for "Deal Firm of the Year," "Litigation Law Firm of the
Year," and "Intellectual Property Law Firm of the Year." In addition, the firm's
reputation as advisor of choice on the biggest and most complex deals in the
market was confirmed by wins for "Deal of the Year" in nearly all of the
awarded categories, while BKL M&A partner Ri Bong HAN was honored as
"Dealmaker of the Year" for the second consecutive year.

At the awards ceremony for
the fourth annual ALB Korea Law Awards held on November 17 at the Grand Hyatt
Seoul, BKL received 10 awards, a total surpassed only by Platinum Sponsor Kim & Chang, which
received a total of 13 awards. Other winners included Lee & Ko (3 awards), Shin
& Kim (3 awards) and Yulchon (3 awards). Winners were selected in a total
of 30 categories by an esteemed panel of judges drawn from the ranks of law
firm partners, in-house lawyers, law professors, legal associations and
business leagues.

BKL’s selection as “Deal
Firm of the Year” was an acknowledgment of the firm’s leading role advising on
mega deals worth trillions of won, such as Tesco’s sale of Homeplus (in which
Dealmaker of the Year Ribong Han played a leading role), the merger between
Hana Bank and Korea Exchange Bank, and Visteon’s sale of Halla Visteon Climate
Control, among others. The firm’s reputation as a litigation powerhouse was similarly
confirmed by its award for “Litigation Law Firm of the Year.” BKL’s win in this
category was based on its representation of clients involved in some of the
largest and most legally significant litigations in the market, including Korail
in regard to the suspension of the Yongsan International Business District
Project, Hyundai Oilbank in its claims for damages against Hanwha Energy, and a
group of underwriters pursuing claims for damages against Deutsche Bank for
option price manipulation. Meanwhile, BKL’s selection as “Intellectual Property
Law Firm of the Year” underscores the firm’s rise to a position of market
leadership in that practice area following the recruitment of leading
practitioner Taeck Soo Kwon, a former High Court judge specializing in IP
matters, in 2014.

Commenting on the firm’s achievements
in the ALB Korea Law Awards 2016, Managing Partner Sungjin Kim observed that “we
are deeply honored to receive these awards and gratified at the market’s
recognition of the impressive skill, expertise and dedication of our
professionals specializing in M&A, litigation, securities and financial
services, intellectual property and other key areas. At the same time, we are very
humbled by that recognition, and will redouble our efforts to achieve maximum client
satisfaction in all we do.”

[List of Awards]

Firm
Categories

▲ Deal Firm of the Year

▲ Dealmaker of the Year – Ri Bong HAN

▲ Litigation Law Firm of the Year

▲ Intellectual Property Law Firm of the Year

Deal Categories

▲ Korea Deal of the Year – Tesco’s sale of Homeplus

▲ M&A Deal of the Year (tie between two mega deals in
which BKL played a central role)

– Premium: 1) Tesco’s sale of Homeplus, and 2) Merger
between Hana Bank and Korea Exchange Bank

– Midsize: Sale of 57.95% Equity in KUMHO
Industrial Co.

▲ Debt Market Deal of the Year

– Premium: Refinancing of
Incheon International Airport Railway’s private investment project

– Midsize: The Republic of
Korea’s issuance of renminbi-denominated foreign exchange equalization bonds
(panda bonds) in the People’s Republic of China

Founded in 1980, Bae, Kim & Lee LLC is
one of the leading law firms in Korea and in Asia with over 500 professionals
and supporting specialists. As the first Korean law firm to set up offices in
China and the UAE, BKL maintains seven overseas offices in Beijing, Shanghai,
Dubai, Hong Kong, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Yangon. With over 20 practice
groups specialized in virtually every area of interest for business clients, including
corporate, M&A, securities and financial services, international
arbitration, tax, litigation and intellectual property, BKL is the second
largest law firm in Korea by size and revenue. BKL established the Pro Bono
Committee in 2002 for the first time among Korean law firms and has devoted
itself to fulfilling its corporate social responsibilities since its inception.
BKL received the Best CSR Practices Award at the 1^st Korea Bar
Association Awards and the Human Rights Award of Korea by the National Human
rights Commission in 2014, and was recognized in the ALB CSR List 2016.