Arnold & Porter Hires Second White & Case Partner for Seoul Office

Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer has hired a second partner from White & Case in its newly approved Seoul office.

Corporate partner Kyungseok Kim joins former White & Case partner James Lee, who joined the firm earlier to launch the Seoul office.

U.S.-qualified Kim focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, international joint ventures and financing. Last year, he represented Hong Kong-based private equity firm Baring Private Equity Asia Ltd on a $723 million sale of Korean cement producer Halla Cement Corp to local rival Asia Cement Co Ltd.

Kim joined White & Case in 2015 as a partner from Linklaters, where he was counsel based in Hong Kong. He first joined the New York-based firm in Hong Kong and soon moved to its then newly opened Seoul office. In 2013, Kim also spent time in Linklaters' Seoul office when the Magic Circle firm first opened in Korea. Before joining Linklaters in 2007, he practised at Baker McKenzie and DLA Piper.

Arnold & Porter received approval for its Seoul office in February. The office, led by litigation partner Lee, will have four other lawyers. Before joining the Washington, D.C.-based firm in December, Lee ran White & Case's Seoul office and the firm's global Korea practice.

Kim's departure leaves White & Case with two partners in its Seoul office: international arbitration lawyer Jun Hee Kim, who took over from Lee as Seoul office executive partner, and asset finance specialist Ji Hoon Hong. Last week, White & Case recruited project finance counsel Sarah Park for its Seoul office from Shearman & Sterling in Singapore.