This article was posted on the ChosunBiz MoneyMove site on April 21, 2025, at 12:27 p.m.
Yoon Hee-woong, former managing partner of Yulchon, a law firm renowned for its work as a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) consulting attorney for over 30 years, will move to Yoon & Yang LLC. Lawyer Ryu Myung-hyun, who established himself as a star attorney while advising on major cross-border deals at Shin & Kim LLC, will also nest at Yoon & Yang.
According to the investment banking (IB) industry and legal circles on the 21st, former managing partner Yoon and lawyer Ryu are confirmed to be proceeding with internal procedures to start at Yoon & Yang in May. Yoon will also serve as the managing partner at Yoon & Yang.
Former managing partner Yoon joined the predecessor of Yoon & Yang, Woobang, in 1992 as a 21st class judicial research and training institute graduate and worked there until 2001. He then moved to Yulchon, where he became managing partner in 2019.
Former managing partner Yoon has gained a reputation as one of the leading M&A consulting lawyers. He has a track record of successfully completing acquisitions, including Hanwha Group's Samsung General Chemical and Samsung Total, Lotte Shopping's Hi-Mart, Lotte Confectionery's Ghirardelli Chocolate, Hyundai Motor's SIS Dental (formerly Shinheung), Lotte Group's Daehan Fire & Marine Insurance (now Lotte Insurance), HD Hyundai's CJ Securities (now iM Securities), Standard Chartered Bank's First Bank acquisition, IMM Private Equity's Holly's acquisition, and the merger of the Korea Policy Finance Corporation and the Industrial Bank.
Lawyer Ryu, a foreign lawyer, joined Woobang, the predecessor of Yoon & Yang, in 1999, and worked until 2004. From 2008, he successfully handled numerous significant deals at Shin & Kim. He is considered a leading player in the cross-border deal sector. His notable transactions include the 2004 sale of the Gangnam Star Tower by Lone Star, the acquisition of Hi-Mart by Eugene Group in 2008, the acquisition of Baiderway by Lotte Group in 2010, the acquisition of Acushnet (Titleist) by Mirae Asset and Fila Korea in 2011, the acquisition of Solar One (now Qcells) by Hanwha Chemical, the equity acquisition of Starbucks Korea by the Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), and the investment by Bearing Private Equity (now EQT) in Shinhan Financial.
By recruiting the two lawyers, the Yoon & Yang corporate advisory group is expected to strengthen its M&A sector. The group is led by attorney Ahn Sang-hyun, along with attorneys Jang Hwang-rim, Kim Sang-man, and Kim Ji-wook.