Yulchon adds Kim & Chang IP, antitrust lawyer

South Korean Big Six firm Yulchon continues its aggressive expansion with the hiring of antitrust and intellectual property expert Dave Koo, who will become the firm’s tenth partner hire in 2024. Koo joins from Kim & Chang, where he was a senior foreign lawyer.

The more than 700-person law firm has recently been actively hiring, including former Lee & Ko media and entertainment practice head Chunghwan Choi, IP and media partners JongCheol Lee and Mun Hui Kim, as well as a four-person mergers and Yoon & Yang’s acquisitions, led by practice principal Sung-Jin Kim and leading arbitration lawyer David MacArthur.

Yulchon also recently hired several former Korean prosecutors, including Sang Mook Kang, who joined in February, and Wook Jin Rha and Woo Y. Choe, who joined in December.

Koo has experience advising clients in the telecommunications, enterprise database software and digital audio compression industries in connection with Korea Fair Trade Commission investigations into market dominance and unfair trade practices.

He has also handled multi-jurisdictional patent and antitrust litigation in the LED, telecommunications, automotive and chemical areas, and has advised telecommunications and internet companies on privacy, licensing and government matters.

“The addition of Dave as senior foreign attorney not only expands our expertise, but also enhances our ability to handle high-profile international cases,” Doil Son, head of Yulchon’s intellectual property and technology practice, said in a statement.

“This hire is a continuation of our plan to deepen our cadre of highly experienced lawyers equipped with international competencies to meet the growing demand for such cross-border services,” Son added.