Antitrust and competition: local firms

Lee & Ko

With Lee & Ko’s extensive expertise in representing both foreign and Korean multinationals, the firm is highly regarded for its work in sectors such as semiconductors, high-tech, finance, automotive, pharmaceuticals, shipping, and ICT. The team includes in-house economists, former KFTC officials, lawyers, and ex-judges and prosecutors, providing comprehensive competition law services. Co-headed by Hwan Jeong, who specialises in merger control, cartels, abuse of dominance, and antitrust litigation, and Jeong-Ho Sun, who is known for handling significant cartel cases and international merger filings. Jungwon Kwon offers a wealth of experience advising multinational corporations on merger control, cartel issues, and antitrust litigation. Suruyn Kim is noted for navigating complex merger reviews, while Jeong Yoon Choi has extensive experience with international cartels, M&A, and KFTC investigations.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘I highly recommend the antitrust and competition team at Lee & Ko for their exceptional legal services. Their deep expertise in competition law, client-focused approach, and strategic insights have been invaluable to us.'
‘I highly recommend Miji Lee, an antitrust & competition lawyer at Lee & Ko. Miji Lee has provided us with exceptional legal support, demonstrating deep expertise and a meticulous approach to every detail. What truly sets Miji Lee apart is her attentiveness and dedication to our needs. She consistently goes above and beyond to ensure we are well informed and supported throughout our legal processes. Her proactive communication and thoughtful guidance have been invaluable.'
‘Lee & Ko's anti-trust team is incredibly responsive and speedy. On top of that, their team members have diverse backgrounds, such as PhD, ex-agency officers, and tech professionals.’
‘Jeong-Ho Sun is a dedicated partner in the anti-trust area, with years of experience and good networks in the industry.’
‘The team of professional lawyers specialising in fair trade work can be said to be the strongest in South Korea. It has an excellent ability to present comprehensive strategies and response plans by establishing organic cooperative relationships with professional teams in each industry.’
‘They have expertise in the field, and the team has the ability to spot key issues that clients might not be aware of.’
‘Lee & Ko is not only known for its long history of providing superb legal service, but it is also a trusted advisor devoted to true communication with clients. Lee & Ko attorneys are great communicators in that they sincerely commit to understanding the business needs and environment.’
'Jeong Yoon Choi is an excellent antitrust lawyer. Her willingness to commit to different time zones and respond timely according to client needs has been very impressive. Jeong Yoon approaches a given subject not only from a legal perspective but from the client\'s unique situation and other non-legal circumstances, which is not something that every other lawyer can do.'

Key clients

Novozymes A/S
Tapestry Inc.
Stratasys Ltd., Stratasys AP Ltd., Stratasys Korea Limited
Korean Bar Association, Seoul Bar Association
LG Chem Co. Ltd.
NAVER Corporation
Dechra
Wanhai
SK Telecom, KT, LG UPlus, Korea Credit Bureau, Seoul Guarantee Insurance Company
Aurelius Group

Work highlights

Represented Novozymes in the merger filing for Novozymes’ merger with Chr. Hansen (a large-scale statutory merger between the largest global biotechnology companies of Denmark) and successfully obtained unconditional clearance of the USD 12.3 billion transaction from the KFTC.
Represented T-Way, Korea’s leading low-cost carrier, in the European Commission’s merger review process in its bid to become the remedy taker for passenger flights in the large global merger (valued at USD 1.34 billion) between Korean Air and Asiana Airlines.
Represented Alvogen after the KFTC commenced an investigation on the collusion between Alvogen and AstraZeneca Korea Ltd., alleging that Alvogen delayed the development of the generic versions of AstraZeneca’s original drugs (Zoladex, Arimidex and Casodex (“DEX drugs”)) in exchange for exclusive distribution rights to DEX drugs in South Korea.