Korean law firm Bae, Kim & Lee (BKL) has established an office in Hong Kong as part of its ambitious growth strategy for the year which saw the firm launch a Dubai office in April, and announce plans to open in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in the second half of 2015.

The new office focuses primarily on financial and regulatory work, and advises corporates and financial institutions on their investments in Korea, as well as Korean clients on their transactions in Hong Kong.

Corporate partner Tongeun Kim has relocated from Seoul to head the new office. He is joined by finance and regulatory specialist Dongwook Kang.

“We have worked for a lot of Hong Kong-based clients for a long time,” said senior BKL partner Keun Byung Lee, who is overseeing the expansion and operations of the office, in a statement.

“[Hong Kong] is where they make a lot of the investment decisions for Korea, and Asia in general.”

450-lawyer BKL is the second major Korean law firm to have entered Hong Kong, after rival Kim & Chang opened an office in December 2012.

BKL recently launched a Dubai office in April, becoming the first Korean firm to establish a presence in the Middle East. The firm also plans to open offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in the second half of this year.

The firm also has overseas offices in Beijing and Shanghai, which opened in 2002 and 2008, respectively.