Korean Big Six law firm Shin & Kim has continued the growth of its regulatory focus in 2024 with the addition of Seongkoo Cheong as a partner to lead its financial regulatory practice.
Cheong was the chief executive officer at South Korean blockchain startup EQBR Networks since 2022, prior to which he was at Kim & Chang for 17 years. He specialises in financial regulations, capital markets, derivatives transactions, data protection, and digital finance.
The firm has also added partners Young-jin Kim, a former deputy director in the financial data policy division at the Financial Services Commission; Ryonho Kang, a former member of the Financial Information Analysis Institute and the Financial Services Commission; and Sung-kuk Choi, who was previously a director at PwC Consulting.
“With the addition of top talent possessing deep expertise in financial law and extensive industry experience, we are well-positioned to proactively navigate the rapidly evolving financial regulatory landscape and our clients' advisory needs. Our objective is to provide optimized solutions in this dynamic environment,” said Jong Han Oh, Kim & Shin’s managing partner, in a statement.
Kim and Kang are the latest in a line of corporate and government counsel and judges who are moving back to private practice in South Korea, as demand for regulatory expertise continues to grow in the country.
“As financial paradigms rapidly evolve due to recent industrial and technological advancements, the regulatory landscape has become increasingly complex. To navigate this complexity, Shin & Kim is dedicated to strengthening its financial regulation group by recruiting top-tier professionals with exceptional expertise and experience across various areas of financial regulation,” the firm said in a statement.
Earlier this year, Shin & Kim added former Supreme Court of Korea judges Dong-kyu Kim and Hun-tae Doh to its partner bench. The firm also hired Jong-In Yoon, the former chairman of Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission, as a senior advisor to spearhead its AI-related practice group.
