South Korea's largest law firm, Kim & Chang, has bolstered its cross-border M&A capabilities with the arrival of veteran partner Sang Jin Han and his team from U.S. firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.
Han is joined by a team of M&A associates, namely Ji-won Lim, Jae Sung Kim, and Ki Won Ahn.
Prior to his move, Han led Cleary's M&A practice in Korea, where he focused on cross-border transactions. He specialises in advising domestic corporations and private equity investors on high-profile deals. Some of his notable representations include NAVER's joint venture with SoftBank, the business integration between LINE and Z Holdings, and MBK Partners' acquisitions of Daesung Industrial Gases, Homeplus, and ING Life Insurance Korea.
A veteran of Cleary Gottlieb, Han began his career in 1996 at the firm's New York office and spent six years in Hong Kong before relocating to Seoul in 2014.
The departure of Han and his team from Cleary's Korea office, which was established in 2012 focusing on capital markets and M&A work, leaves the office with two capital markets partners: Jinduk Han and Insoo Park.
