[E-Daily Reporter BAEK JU-A ] Barun Law Firm has appointed Shin Hyun-sik (27th Class, Judicial Research and Training Institute) in the Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) and Corporate Transactions practice, Tae Ji-young (28th Class) in the Corporate Criminal and Labor & Employment practice, Park Chan-woo (42nd Class) in the Intellectual Property (IP) practice, and Shin Eun-cheol (12th Bar Exam) in the Criminal practice, as well as foreign attorney Kim Jeong-gyeom in the Insurance practice and Senior Advisor Yang Yong-gu (Ph.D. in Safety Engineering) in the Industrial Safety and Serious Accidents practice.

Attorney Shin Hyun-sik is a corporate transactions expert with over 25 years of practical experience in domestic and international mergers and acquisitions (M&A), private equity (PE), corporate restructuring, real estate and infrastructure investments, and corporate governance and compliance. While at Sejong, Attorney Shin advised on various large-scale transactions on behalf of major domestic and international companies and global institutional investors for approximately 18 years. He subsequently moved to DL Group, where he served as Chief Risk Officer (CRO), General Counsel, and Head of Compliance, overseeing the group’s overall management—including investment decision-making, global cross-border M&A, and business portfolio restructuring—before joining Barun.

Attorney Shin oversaw major transactions including: △the acquisition of Kraton Corporation, a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) (valued at approximately 3 trillion won); △ the global carve-out acquisition of the Cariflex business unit, and △ DL Group’s transition to a holding company structure. He also advised global institutional investors—including GIC, Blackstone, LaSalle, and Macquarie Asset Management—on investments in office, logistics, and infrastructure assets. Drawing on his diverse practical experience—gained through roles as an external counsel, general counsel at a major corporation, and director of a publicly listed company—he plans to provide effective solutions covering the entire process of corporate transactions.

Attorney Tae Ji-young is an expert who has primarily focused on corporate criminal law, investigations involving corporate executives and employees, labor criminal law, human resources and labor relations (including disciplinary matters), and corporate advisory services. From 1999 to 2004, she served as a prosecutor, handling investigations and prosecutions in general criminal, fair trade, election, and labor criminal cases. Subsequently, while working at law firms such as Chungjeong, Dongin, and Kwangjang, she built up her advisory capabilities covering corporate criminal risks and human resources and labor issues. In particular, he has handled numerous cases involving responses to police and prosecution investigations targeting corporate executives and employees; investigations into and disciplinary advice regarding workplace sexual harassment and bullying; internal corporate investigations; compliance advice; as well as Labor Ministry investigations and special labor inspections under the Industrial Safety and Health Act and the Act on the Punishment of Serious Accidents, and responses to investigative agencies.

Recognized for his expertise in human resources and labor law—particularly in the area of disciplinary action—Attorney Tae has served as a member of the Appeal Review Committee of the Ministry of Personnel Management, a member of the Central Disciplinary Committee, a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Government Appeal Review Committee, a member of the Lawyers’ Disciplinary Committee of the Korean Bar Association, a member of the KBS Special Disciplinary Committee, and a public interest commissioner in charge of adjudication at the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission. He currently serves on the General Disciplinary Committee of the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Labor Attorney Qualification Review and Disciplinary Committee, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s First Personnel Committee. She also remains actively involved in various external roles, having served as a consulting attorney for the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, a member of the Legislative Interpretation Deliberation Committee at the Ministry of Government Legislation, a member of the Ministry of Justice’s Bar Exam Question-Setting and Grading Committee, and Vice President of the Korean Women Lawyers Association.

Attorney Park Chan-woo is an expert in intellectual property and technology, including patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights, and SI disputes, and is also a licensed patent attorney. After graduating from the Department of Computer Engineering at Seoul National University, Attorney Park gained experience working as an engineer at an IT company and as a patent attorney specializing in electrical and electronic fields. Following his graduation from the 42nd class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute in 2013, he worked at Law Firm Gwangjang before joining Barun.

Attorney Park has handled numerous key disputes in technology-intensive industries, including: △ a lawsuit against a U.S. company regarding mobile communication standards and smartphone patent infringement, representing South Korea’s largest smartphone manufacturer; △ a lawsuit regarding game service patent infringement, representing a major internet portal company; △ a case involving patent and trade secret infringement related to the manufacturing technology of grain-oriented electrical steel sheets, representing a global steel manufacturer (in the U.S., Japan, and South Korea); △ a case involving copyright and trade secret infringement of computer programs for a semiconductor equipment manufacturer, among other key disputes in technology-intensive industries. Drawing on his background as an engineer, patent attorney, and lawyer, Attorney Park is expected to leverage his deep understanding of technology and practical experience to excel not only in handling intellectual property disputes but also in providing related advisory services.

Foreign Attorney Kim Jeong-gyeom is an expert with over 25 years of experience in the fields of insurance and reinsurance—including disputes, regulatory compliance, M&A, and government relations—having, for example, jointly represented excess reinsurers under a package insurance policy with a Singaporean law firm to review the scope of compensation in connection with the explosion accidents at the Daesan plants of #Lotte Chemical and LGCHEM,LTD(051910). After working at multinational insurance and reinsurance companies in New York and Seoul, as well as at leading global law firms, he led the insurance and reinsurance practices at Kim & Chang, Kwangjang, and Sejong, and served as head of the insurance and reinsurance team at Dentons Lee before joining Barun. His expertise has been recognized externally through rankings in the insurance sector by Chambers and Partners and his selection as one of ABLJ’s “Top 100 Lawyers in Korea.”

Expert Advisor Yang Yong-gu is a hands-on expert in responding to major disaster risks who has been active in the field of industrial safety for over 30 years. Since 1994, he has held various positions at the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA), including Director of the Management Education Center, Director of the Expert Advisory Committee at the Metropolitan Accident Investigation Center, and Director of the Construction Health Division. As a Ph.D. in Safety Engineering and a Certified Industrial Safety Consultant (Construction Safety), Mr. Yang has diagnosed legal risks for employers related to the Act on the Punishment of Serious Accidents and the Occupational Safety and Health Act and proposed preventive solutions. As a KOSHA-MS and ISO 45001 auditor, he has audited the occupational safety and health management systems of construction companies and public institutions and participated in investigations of serious accident incidents. Upon joining the Barun Serious Accident Response Center, he provides practical technical defense strategies for chief executive officers (CEOs) in the event of a serious accident.

Attorney Shin Eun-cheol is a criminal defense specialist handling general criminal cases, corporate criminal cases, responses to police investigations, and anti-corruption and financial/economic crimes. After graduating from the Department of Public Administration at the Korea National Police University, he gained hands-on investigative experience on the front lines—including with the Economic Crime Investigation Team—before joining Barun after working at Dongin Law Firm. Drawing on his deep understanding of investigative procedures, he is expected to provide tailored investigative responses and criminal defense strategies for clients.

Kim Do-hyung, Managing Partner of Barun, stated “With this appointment, we have further strengthened our advisory capabilities in M&A, corporate transactions, intellectual property, and corporate criminal law and compliance. At the same time, by adding a leading expert in industrial safety, we are now able to provide differentiated solutions that integrate legal expertise and technical know-how in responding to major industrial accidents, which are becoming increasingly critical,” he said. “Barun will continue to recruit experts whose competence and character have been proven in their respective fields to provide our clients with professional and differentiated advisory services.”