Recent Representations

Mergers & Acquisitions

• CJ ENM, a leading Korean entertainment and merchandising company, along with other investors on its US$275 million strategic equity investment in and partnership with Skydance Media, a U.S. diversified media company.
• Hotel Shilla on its proposed US$121 million acquisition of 44% stake in 3Sixty Duty Free, a U.S. airport duty free retailer. 
• Daelim Industrial, a Korea leading petrochemical company, on its US$530 million acquisition of the Cariflex TM business unit of Kraton Corporation. 
• Samsung Electronics in its US$8 billion acquisition of Harman International Industries, Inc., the market leader in connected car solutions. The transaction is Samsung's largest-ever acquisition, and is the largest Korean outbound M&A transaction on record.
• Samsung Electronics in its acquisition of Dacor, a leading American brand in the luxury home appliance category.
• CJ Logistics, a Korean logistics company, in its US$216 million acquisition of a majority stake in DSC Logistics, a U.S. logistics and supply chain management company.
• Hansol Paper, the largest paper manufacturer in Korea, in its sale of its European Schades and R+S group companies to U.S-based Iconex, a market leader in low-cost paper receipt and differentiated label solutions.
• LG Chem, a Korean battery and chemical company, on its acquisition of Uniseal, a U.S. leading automotive adhesive maker.
• Golfzon Newdin and its affiliates in the acquisition of 100% equity interest in Leadbetter Golf Academies, a U.S.-based golf instruction institute founded by legendary golf coach David Leadbetter.
• SeAH Steel, the largest steel pipe producer in South Korea, in its acquisition of an oil country tubular goods (OCTG) processing plant from Laguna Tubular Products, a steel company based in Mexico, and in its acquisition of an OCTG manufacturing and processing plant from OMK Tube, a steel maker based in Russia. Both facilities are located in Houston, Texas.
• Temasek Holdings in its participation in a consortium with MBK Partners in the acquisition of Tesco’s Homeplus, the second largest supermarket retail chain in Korea, in a deal valued at more than US$6 billion.
• SoftBank Corp. in its US$1 billion investment in Coupang, the largest and fastest growing standalone ecommerce player in Korea.
• Samsung Display in with the US$1.9 billion sale of its 43% interest in Samsung Corning Precision Materials (SCP) to Corning Inc, and its US$2.3 billion preferred shares strategic investment in Corning.
• Samsung Electronics in the US$1.4 billion sale of its hard disk drive business to Seagate Technology and extending and enhancing the existing patent cross-license agreement between the companies.
• Samsung Electronics in its US$310 million acquisition of UK-listed CSR Plc’s mobile connectivity and location technology as well as certain relevant patents including a license to patents and intellectual property for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS and its strategic 4.9% equity stake in CSR Plc.
• Samsung Electronics in the sale of its fiber optics business to Corning Incorporated, the world leader in specialty glass and ceramics.
• Hanwha Solar Holdings and Hanwha Q CELLS in the US$1.2 billion sale of Hanwha Q CELLS and its merger with Hanwha SolarOne.
• Hanwha Chemical, a leading global chemicals company headquartered in Korea, in its US$370 million strategic equity investment in Solarfun, a NASDAQ-listed vertically integrated PRC manufacturer of silicon ingots, wafers and photovoltaic cells and modules.
• Korea East-West Power in its acquisition of Marubeni Sustainable Energy, Inc., a leading integrated energy company focused on renewable energy production, based in the U.S.
• Dong-A Pharmaceutical, a leading Korean pharmaceutical company, in its US$125 million equity investment from, and in the structuring and organization of its strategic alliance with, GlaxoSmithKline.
• An Asian financial institution in its attempted bid for the Asian operations of Lehman Brothers.
• Morgan Stanley Private Equity in its 42% equity investment in Hyundai Rotem, one of world's leading makers of high-speed trains and other rail transports.
• Morgan Stanley Private Equity in its acquisition of KEB Commerz Investment Trust Management Company (KEBIT) from Korea Exchange Bank and Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft and in KEBIT's subsequent merger with Landmark ITMC.
• Morgan Stanley Private Equity in its acquisition of Jinbang Steel, a leading manufacturer of steel pipes and other steel products, from Ssangyong Corporation.
• Marathon Asset Management in its management-led buyout of The Executive Centre Limited, a leading serviced-office provider throughout Asia and Australia.
• Walmart in its US$882 million sale of its Korean retail operations to Shinsegae.

Capital Markets

• Hanwha Systems, a leading manufacturer of defense electronics products in Korea, on its US$345 million IPO and listing on the Korea Exchange. This is the second largest IPO in South Korea in 2019.
• Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan as joint bookrunners in the US$1.1 billion IPO and listing of Samsung SDS, an information technology service provider based in Korea, on the KRX KOSPI Market.
• Goldman Sachs and Nomura as joint bookrunners in the US$900 million dual-currency convertible bond offering by Lotte Shopping, one of the biggest retailers in Korea and a market leader in both department stores and discount stores, and listed on the Singapore Exchange.
• Goldman Sachs as sole bookrunner in the US$200 million convertible bond offering by STX Pan Ocean, a global leader in dry bulk shipping, dual listed on the Korea Exchange and the Singapore Exchange.
• Samsung Securities in the US$200 million IPO and listing of Dongkuk S&C, a global leader in manufacturing wind towers, on the KRX KOSDAQ market.
• Goldman Sachs and Samsung Securities in the US$628 million initial public offering by STX Pan Ocean, a global leader in dry bulk shipping, and the second-ever Korean IPO with a 144A/Reg S international tranche following the regulatory change in Korea.

Accolades and Recognitions

• Recognized as M&A Firm of the Year at The American Lawyer’s Asia Legal Awards
• Mr. Kim is individually ranked Band 1 by Chambers Global and Chambers Asia-Pacific 2015 in South Korea Corporate/M&A.

Professional and Community Involvement

• Mr. Kim is a member of both the California and New York State Bars. He is fluent in Korean.

Education

• Mr. Kim received his undergraduate education at New York University, graduating with a B.A. in Political Science in 1992.
• After college, he was appointed by Mayor David N. Dinkins as the city's first mediator and liaison to the New York Korean community.
• Mr. Kim attended law school at the University of Chicago, graduating with a J.D. in 1997.