Dentons Lee

REAL ESTATE
• Advised Hangang AMC in connection with its acquisition and January 2022 closing on an Amazon leased fulfilment centre in Ottawa, Canada, for $494 MM CAD, the largest real estate investment ever made by Korean investors into Canada.
• Advised Lotte Hotels and Resorts on the acquisition and January 2022 closing on the Kimpton Hotel Monaco, in Chicago, for approximately USD 36 million including the joint venture with a Korean government entity structured for a Delaware LLC.
• Advised Mapletree Investments and its affiliates on the acquisition of warehouses in Seoul metropolitan area including due diligence and preparation of purchase agreements under a tax-sparing special purpose vehicle structure with a transaction value of approximately $30 MM USD.

CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENTS
• Advised a leading Korean construction company on the planning and construction of the landmark Lotte World Tower which now stands as the tallest building in Asia (123 stories).
• Acted as legal counsel for the construction of a multi-billion dollar factory for a large Korean conglomerate.
• Served as legal counsel on engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract involving wind turbines, PV stations, and the establishment of a power plant facility for a Korean alternative renewable energy company.

LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
• Provided legal advice and managed litigation across a full spectrum of employment and labor-related issues.
• Defended numerous matters on individual labour relations such as the legal status of employees, hiring, dismissal, disciplinary actions, personnel orders, performance management, restructuring, wages, severance pay, fixed-term work, temporary agency work, other non-regular work, discrimination, women’s protection and changes in labour relations due to mergers; numerous matters on collective labor relations such as establishment and operation of labour union, collective bargaining, union activities, strike actions, unfair labour acts, dealing with labour unions in mergers and acquisitions, and the establishment and operation of labour-management council.
• Defended clients in civil, criminal, and administrative actions in the field of labour and employment, including industrial safety, serious accidents, and ESG issues.
• Assisted management of client in responding to investigations conducted by investigative and supervisory agencies, disputes before the Labour Relations Commission and other comparable disputes.
• Rendered consulting services as to the improvement of related systems and practices in preparation for implementation of the revised Occupational Safety and Health Act and the newly-enacted Serious Accidents Act

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
• Acted as plaintiff’s counsel seeking relief to curtail the infringement of a circuit bonding film patent (Hitachi Gaiseigogyo v. LG Cable & System).
• Acted as litigation counsel for a patent infringement of a certain production method of polysilicon (Wacker Chemie v. OCI).
• Represented Inter IKEA in a lawsuit involving trademark infringement, unfair competition and domain name disputes with respect to the “IKEA” trademark.
• Handled the trademark registration and a crack-down on counterfeit goods of Supreme and Christian Louboutin.

CAPITAL MARKETS
• Advised SillaJen, Inc. (“SillaJen”) in responding to a substantive examination by the Korea Exchange to determine SillaJen’s eligibility to remain listed on the Korea Exchange.

INSURANCE & REINSURANCE
• Act as insurance and reinsurance coverage counsel on behalf of excess reinsurers including AIG Korea, Liberty International and Chubb Singapore on the Lotte Chem factory explosion in Daesan, South Korea occurring in March of 2020 with property damage impact on the neighbouring LG Chem factory for property and casualty losses including personal injuries.
• Negotiate, draft and assist leading global financial lines insurer based in Bermuda in connection with the commutation of the entire South Korean insurance book of business with a South Korean insurer to solidify the financial statements of the client.
• Advise a French re/insurer licensed in Singapore in a product recall coverage matter over alleged defective lithium ion batteries with global exposure related to Ford, BMW, Audi, etc. which may subsequently be in litigation in the South Korean courts.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION
• Act as coverage counsel and subsequently as litigation defence counsel in a product recall claim for alleged lithium ion batteries manufactured by LG Energy Solutions supplied in Hyundai Kona electric vehicles sold to the public in the U.S., Europe, China, South Korea and other countries/regions; the dispute is on-going in the Seoul Central District Court in the Republic of Korea.
• Preparing to commence a collection matter in arbitration against High Hope as a Chinese trading company on behalf of J.F. Weston as the client vessel owner on a cross-border basis involving Russia and South Korea under English law.