Sung Woon Kang is a partner of Yoon & Yang, one of the largest law firms in South Korea with more than 450 attorneys and other professionals. He has 17 years of experience and mainly focuses on banking & finance and capital markets. Mr Kang has an extensive knowledge and track records in overseas/domestic IPOs, M&As involving financial institutions, establishment and management of investment funds, structured securities, capital market regulations, corporate disclosure, foreign exchange transactions, cross-border investments and electronic financial transactions. Mr Kang has been recognised as a ‘Rising Star’ in the capital markets of South Korea by IFLR1000 for three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021. Mr Kang specialises in advising foreign corporations’ IPO in Korea. He has advised Wing Yip Food (China) Holdings Group’s IPO on the Korea’s KOSDAQ market in 2018, China Great Star International’s IPO on the KOSDAQ market in 2009, and 3NOD Digital Group’s IPO on the KOSDAQ market in 2007, which is the first case where a foreign company listed on the Korea Exchange successfully. Among many other corporations from the US, UK, China, Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam, he is currently advising the IPOs of a Silicon-Valley-based bio-tech company, and a Danish bio-tech company in Korea. He has been actively advising Korean corporations to be listed, successfully advised both Eone Diagnomics Genome Center and Enzychem Lifesciences Corporation to be listed on KOSDAQ market and currently advising on the IPOs of an insurance company, an engineering and construction company, and a biotech company on the KOSPI market and many other companies on the KOSDAQ market. Not only has Mr Kang counselled numerous listed companies for listing eligibility, but he was also the first attorney in Korea to systematically organise corporate transparency improvement measures for the listing eligibility review. Mr Kang has extensive experience in handling M&A issues for financial companies. He advised on Woori Financial Savings Bank’s purchase of Solomon Savings Banks’ assets and liabilities via the P&A method; the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation’s sale of a bridge savings bank which had acquired assets and liabilities of five savings banks; Daishin Securities’ acquisition of Woori F&I and Woori Financial; and the merger of Korea Development Bank’s Uzbekistan subsidiaries. In addition, Mr Kang is a sophisticated expert for capital market regulations. He currently advises numerous domestic securities companies on matters involving the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act of Korea. Based on in-depth understanding of the Act, Mr Kang successfully conducted the 'Study on Assisting the Modernisation of Uzbekistan’s Securities Law' ordered by the Ministry of Justice of Korea, and presented a revised draft of Uzbekistan’s Securities Law. Furthermore, Mr Kang has expertise in corporate disclosure and foreign exchange transaction issues. Since 2005, Mr Kang has represented foreign investors such as Genesis Investment Management and Brandes Investment Partners for their 5% reports and 10% reports. With his expertise on the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act of Korea, Mr Kang presented measures to soften the regulation on foreign exchange transactions during the course of undertaking the project on developing measures to facilitate foreign direct investments via M&A deals ordered by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea. Mr Kang’s clients range from domestic commercial banks and securities firms to prominent foreign investors, which include Shinhan Financial Group, NH Investment & Securities, Korea Investment & Securities, KB Securities, Brandes Investment Partners, and Apple.
