Shin & Kim LLC (“Shin & Kim”) will further expand its legal services in Southeast Asia with the opening of an overseas office in Singapore. 

The Singapore office is the firm’s sixth overseas office, following Beijing (2006) and Shanghai (2010) in China, Ho Chi Minh City (2017) and Hanoi (2018) in Vietnam, and Jakarta (2019) in Indonesia. 

“The importance of Singapore as a business hub in Southeast Asia has increased in recent years as cross-border trade has become more active following the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Jong-Han Oh, Managing Partner of Shin & Kim. He added, “Our Singapore office will serve as a forward base to network closely with local businesses and as a bridgehead for domestic clients looking to expand into Southeast Asia.” 

The opening ceremony was held on the evening of April 4 at the 170-year-old Singapore Cricket Club, with over 120 guests in attendance, including Shin & Kim’s Jong-Han Oh, Kyung Don Lee, Jin-Ho Jeong, and Je-Heum Baik, as well as other lawyers from Shin & Kim’s head office, government officials, executives from Korean and global companies with a presence in Singapore, and representatives from a number of local law firms.

Shin & Kim’s Singapore office is located in the Republic Plaza building in Singapore. The office is staffed full-time with foreign attorney Mr. Brian Shin (New York, U.S.), an experienced lawyer who has worked on various transactions in Southeast Asian countries, such as Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, and the Philippines. Mr. Shin graduated from Harvard Law School and has over 13 years of experience in corporate advisory, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, and finance in various industries, including manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, finance, renewable energy, and virtual assets.  

In addition, lawyers representing each practice area, such as foreign attorney Mr. John H. Choi (U.S.) in antitrust, foreign attorney Mr. Robert C. Young (U.S.) in real estate alternative investment, foreign attorney Michael Chang (Australia) in finance and projects and energy, foreign attorney Chung-In Anthony Choi (U.S.) in PE and VC, and attorney Jae Min Jeon (Korea) in international arbitration will travel back and forth from the head office to the Singapore office and facilitate close collaboration. Furthermore, attorney Yeongmin Gil (Korea), currently the head of Shin & Kim’s Southeast Asia practice group, will combine efforts with his extensive experience in Southeast Asia. 

“The Singapore office will work seamlessly with Shin & Kim’s Southeast Asia practice group, encompassing Vietnam and Indonesia, as well as with the firm’s Seoul head office, to provide clients with prompt and integrated solutions,” said Mr. Shin.

Meanwhile, Singapore has become one of the largest economic hubs in Southeast Asia, gaining popularity among global companies for its geographical advantages, such as easy access to neighboring countries, including China, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Currently, it is home to the headquarters of various global companies, and the number of domestic companies looking to establish a presence in Singapore is also on the rise. In response to this demand, Shin & Kim’s Singapore office will provide legal services in various areas, including investment and market entry advice, M&A, international arbitration, real estate, fund/asset management, taxation, fair trade, and intellectual property (IP), to both local clients who wish to enter Singapore and those who have already entered Singapore.