Korean law firm Yoon & Yang has hired aviation expert Hye Kyung Helen Sohn from fellow Big Six firm Lee & Ko, where she was a partner.

Sohn, who spent 27 years at Lee & Ko, will join Yoon & Yang's corporate advisory and finance practice group as a senior foreign attorney. She advises on corporate law, finance, operating leases, secured loan transactions, progress payments to manufacturers and asset-backed securities. Her clients have included Korean Air, Jin Air, Jeju Air, T’way Air, The Export Import Bank of Korea, ICBC Leasing, Hana Bank, Hana Financial Investment, Shinhan Investment Group, and Heungkuk Asset Management.

Yoon & Yang has also hired two other aviation lawyers: Seungmin Song, who spent more than a decade as an in-house attorney at Korean Air, and Minjeong Kim, who has more than two decades of experience at airlines and aviation authorities.

At Korean Air, Song was in charge of providing advice and engaging in negotiations on aircraft transactions, as well as providing advice on airline-related matters such as assistance to various lawsuits and disputes, and presidential aircraft projects.

Meanwhile, Kim has worked for the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB) of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, the Korea Civil Aviation Association, and Lufthansa and Emirates Airlines. 

“The aviation industry is gradually recovering from the pandemic, and the outlook for the aircraft finance sector is also expected to be bright. Starting with this recruitment, Yoon & Yang will further strengthen our practical expertise to provide the best legal services to our major clients,” said Jinsu Jeong, Managing Partner at Yoon & Yang, in a release.