Education

• 2012Duke University, School of Law (J.D./LL.M. in International & Comparative Law)
• 2007Wesleyan University (B.A., with honors and phi beta kappa, in East Asian Studies)

Professional Career

• 2023-PresentMember, YSIAC Council
• 2023-PresentMember, SIAC Reserve Panel of Arbitrators
• 2023-PresentFellow, Singapore Institute of Arbitrators
• 2022-PresentAssociate Editor, Kluwer Arbitration Blog
• 2022-PresentRegional Ambassador, HK45
• 2022-PresentMember, HKIAC List of Arbitrators
• 2022-PresentFellow, Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators
• 2021-PresentCo-Chair, Trade & Customs Committee, American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM)
• 2021-PresentMember, KCAB INTERNATIONAL Panel of International Arbitrators
• 2021-PresentMember, KCAB Next Steering Committee
• 2019-2021Assistant Editor (East and Central Asia), Kluwer Arbitration Blog
• 2018-PresentSpecialist Mediator of Singapore International Mediation Centre(SIMC)
• 2017-PresentFellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
• 2014-PresentShin & Kim LLC
• 2012-2013Law Clerk, U.S. Court of International Trade, New York, New York

Bar Admissions

• 2013New York
• 2022England & Wales (Solicitor)

Memberships

• American Society of International Law (ASIL)
• American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM Korea)
• British Chamber of Commerce in Korea (BCCK)
• Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb)
• HK45
• Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators (HKIArb)
• International Bar Association (IBA)
• International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA)
• KCAB Next
• The Law Society of England & Wales
• Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (SIArb)
• YSIAC

Languages

Korean, Chinese, English

Recent Experience

Breach of Warranty / M&A

• Represented a Korean asset management company in a dispute involving the breach of representations and warranties in a share purchase agreement (Hong Kong law; KCAB arbitration; Seoul seat)
• Represented a leading Asian private equity company in a dispute arising over its sale of one of the largest logistics companies in Korea to another major private equity company (Korean and Hong Kong law; HKIAC arbitration; Hong Kong seat) (co-counsel)
• Represented a U.S. dealmaker in a dispute over a Hong Kong entity’s failure to pay a success fee following the closure of an M&A deal (Korean law; KCAB arbitration; Seoul seat)
• Represented a restaurateur from the United States in a post-divestiture payment dispute (Korean law; KCAB arbitration; Seoul seat)
• Represented a Mauritian investor against a Korean clothing company regarding in a dispute relating to a share purchase agreement (Korean law; SIAC arbitration; Singapore seat)

Construction

• Represented a construction conglomerate against a Middle Eastern construction company relating to a delay and disruption claim (English law; ICC arbitration; London seat)
• Represented an energy industry company in a dispute against a German conglomerate related to construction delays (Swiss law; ICC arbitration; Zurich seat)
• Represented a quasi-governmental ocean research organization in a dispute against a Swiss deep-sea exploration company regarding liability for delay (Korean law; ICC arbitration; Singapore seat)

Distribution Agreements

• Represented a Kuwaiti cosmetics distributor in a contract termination dispute against a Korean cosmetics company (Korean and Kuwaiti law; KCAB arbitration; Seoul seat)
• Represented a Korean home goods entrepreneur in defense of contractual claims brought by a U.S. contractual counterpart (Korean law; KCAB arbitration; Seoul seat)

Finance

• Represented a chemical and auto parts manufacturer in a dispute against a finance company based in Saudi Arabia in a dispute relating to payment of amounts allegedly due under a financial agreement (English law; LCIA arbitration; London seat)
• Represented a Malaysian car dealership in defense of claims brought by a Korean conglomerate regarding liability under credit facility agreements (Korean law; two KCAB arbitrations; Seoul seat)

Heavy Industry / Sale of Goods

• Represented a heavy industry company in a dispute against a Bangladeshi power supplier relating to failure to pay for and alleged defects with power plant equipment (Swiss law; ICC arbitration; Geneva seat)
• Represented a Korean power company in a dispute against a U.S. power company relating to defects in goods supplied for use in a thermal power plant (Korean law; KCAB arbitration; Seoul Seat)
• Represented a manufacturer of polysilicon used for semiconductors and solar cells in a payment dispute against a Chinese company relating to a consignment agreement (Hong Kong law; HKIAC arbitration; Hong Kong seat)
• Represented an importer/exporter of vehicles and vehicle parts in a dispute against a North Macedonian company (Korean law; ICC arbitration; Seoul seat)

Insurance

• Represented a leading Korean private equity fund in post-M&A dispute against a European insurance major relating to life insurance liabilities (Korean law; ICC arbitration; Hong Kong seat) (co-counsel)

Intellectual Property

• Represented a Korean video game company in separate disputes against Chinese companies regarding intellectual property infringement and other issues (Korean law or Singapore law; three ICC or SIAC arbitrations; Singapore seat) (co-counsel)
• Represented a Norwegian music technology company in a dispute with a Korean IT company over breach of contract (California law; ICDR arbitration; Norway seat)

International Litigation

• Represented Korean conglomerates and other clients in litigations throughout the world; represent foreign (non-Korean) clients in litigation matters in Korea

Investor-State Arbitration

• Represented a Korean electric power generation public utility in an investment treaty dispute against the Government of India relating to the power plant in which it invested (international law; UNCITRAL arbitration; Singapore seat)
• Represented investors in the first two investor-state treaty disputes involving Korea (international law; ICSID arbitration; Washington, DC seat) (co-counsel)

Military Procurement and National Defense

• Represented a major European defense industry client in aircraft procurement dispute against governmental entity (Korean law; KCAB arbitration; Seoul seat)
• Represented a Korean government agency against a major European manufacturer in a naval procurement dispute involving an allegedly defective motor (Korean law; KCAB arbitration; Seoul seat)

Nuclear Power / Renewable Energy

• Represented a state-owned nuclear energy company in defense of claims relating to payment for replacement parts (Korean law; two KCAB arbitrations; Seoul seat)
• Represented a wind-power generation system manufacturer in dispute against a major European component manufacturer (Swiss law; ICC arbitration; Seoul seat)
• Represented a Korean photovoltaic inverter manufacturer in a dispute against a Thai company relating to liability for destruction of goods (Korean law; KCAB arbitration; Seoul seat)

Product Liability

• Represented a leading Korean metals manufacturer in defense of a product liability and indemnity claim brought by a U.S. company (CISG and U.S. state law; ICC arbitration; Geneva seat)

Services

• Represented a government agency against two U.S. companies in a dispute relating to breach of a retainer agreement (Korean law; KCAB arbitration; Seoul seat)
• Represented a Korean real estate investment entity in a dispute over hotel management (Korean law; KCAB arbitration; Seoul seat)

Publications

• Interviews with Our Editors: In Conversation with Ban Jiun Ean, Chief Executive of Maxwell Chambers, Kluwer Arbitration Blog (August 2023)
• Korea, GAR Know-how Commercial Arbitration 2023 (June 2023) (co-authored)
• 2022 Year in Review: Technology, Kluwer Arbitration Blog (January 2023) (co-authored)
• Interviews with Our Editors: Professor Hi-Taek Shin, Chairman of KCAB INTERNATIONAL, Kluwer Arbitration Blog (May 2022)
• The Path Forward for IP Arbitration in Korea (with Lessons from Hong Kong and Others), Korean Arbitration Review (May 2022)
• Arbitration Tech Toolbox: Interview with Dr. Gordon Blanke on the New CIArb Technology Guideline, Kluwer Arbitration Blog (January 2022)
• A Tale of Two Maritime Hubs: The Rise of Regional Maritime Arbitration Centers in Asia, Kluwer Arbitration Blog (November 2021) (co-authored)
• The Use of Virtual Hearings in Korea-Seated Arbitration Proceedings: Are There Risks to Enforcement, Korea Arbitration Review (April 2021) (co-authored)
• Arbitration Tech Toolbox: What’s in Your Toolbox?, Kluwer Arbitration Blog (April 2021)
• 2020 in Review: Reflections on a Year of Steady Progress in East and Central Asia, Kluwer Arbitration Blog (January 2021) (co-authored)
• International Law Talk Podcast and Arbitration: In Conversation with Chiann Bao, Kluwer Arbitration Blog (December 2020)
• Korea, GAR Know-how Commercial Arbitration 2021 (June 2021) (co-authored)
• Interviews of Our Editors: “What Does Kluwer Arbitration Blog Mean to You?”, Kluwer Arbitration Blog (May 2020) (co-authored)
• Interviews with Our Editors: China Insights from Dr. Li Hu of CIETAC, Kluwer Arbitration Blog (April 2020)
• Innovating arbitration through technology, IBA Arbitration News (March 2020)
• Is it true that enforcing an international arbitral award under the New York Convention is easier than enforcing a judgment, IBA Arbitration News (March 2020)
• 2019 in Review: Noteworthy Developments in East and Central Asia, Kluwer Arbitration Blog (January 2020) (co-authored)
• Legal finance in Korea: Lawyers weigh in, Burford Quarterly, (Autumn 2019) (interview)
• Korea, Getting the Deal Through - Investment Treaty Arbitration 2019 (October 2018) (co-authored)
• Seoul IDRC Lecture Series: “Arbitration in the Time of One Belt One Road”, Arbitration Review of the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (2017) (co-authored)
• SIAC Investment Arbitration: Rule Innovations Are Only the First Step (2016 YSIAC Essay Competition)
• Banking on Cooperation: The Role of the G-20 in Improving the International Financial Architecture, 22 Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law 239 (2012)
• The Great Currency Debate, China Business Review, at 36 (May-June 2008) (co-authored)

Speaking Engagements

• Facilitator, “Young Practitioners and our Future” (focus on digital technology) (ICCA Congress, Edinburgh, September 2022)
• Presenter, “Overview and Comparison of Litigation and Arbitration in South Korea” (British Chamber of Commerce of Korea Breakfast Panel, Seoul, July 2022)
• Moderator, “AMCHAM Fireside Chat Webinar with Barbara Weisel, Former Assistant USTR for Southeast Asia and the Pacific” (AMCHAM Korea event hosted by the Trade & Customs Committee, Online, January 2022)
• Presenter, “Enforceability of Awards for Cases Involving Virtual Hearings in Korea” (CIArb Korea Chapter Monthly Breakfast Series, Online, April 2021)
• Panelist, “ADR World Tour: Asian Perspectives on ISDS Reform" (CIArb YMG, Online, January 2021)
• Panelist, “IBA Arb40 Workshop: Arbitrator Challenges and Conflicts of Interest” (IBA Annual Conference, Seoul, September 2019)
• Presenter, “Time to Be More Open? Adopting a More Proactive Approach to Publication of Awards” (Inaugural CIArb Asia-Pacific Regional Conference, Singapore, April 2019)
• Discussant, “Current Mediation Developments in the Asia Pacific Region” (2nd Asia Pacific Mediation Conference, Seoul, November 2018)
• Facilitator, “Drafting and Handling Early Dismissal Applications” (SIAC Academy, Seoul, June 2018)
• Presenter, “To be or not to be: Publication of Arbitral Awards” (ICC Young Arbitrators Forum (YAF), Seoul, May 2018)
• Discussant, “Investment Treaty Protections” (ISD Masterclass Seminar co-hosted by Shin & Kim LLC, Seoul, May 2018)

Community Involvement

• Moot Arbitrator, Pre-Vis East Moot Arbitration Competition (Seoul, February 2016, 2018, 2022, 2023)
• Reviewer, PwC / Maxwell Chambers Expert Witness Cross Examination Moot (September 2020)
• Rapporteur for Arbitration Committee Panels, IBA Annual Conference 2019 (Seoul, September 2019)
• Rapporteur, SIAC-KCAB Seoul Conference 2019: “Cross-Border Construction Disputes in 21st Century Asia” (Seoul, September 2019)
• Participant/Actor, KCAB International Arbitration Tutorial Video (Seoul, August 2016)
• Moot Arbitrator, FDI Moot Asia-Pacific Regional Rounds (Seoul, August 2016, 2019)

Awards and Recognitions

• 2016Finalist, 19th annual Kyung-Hee University Korean for Foreigners Speech Contest
• 2016Finalist, 2nd annual Young SIAC Essay Competition

Professional Accolades

• “Up and Coming” for Dispute Resolution: Arbitration, Chambers Global/Asia, 2022-2023
• "Future Leader – Partner" for Arbitration, Who's Who Legal, 2023
• "Associates to watch" for Dispute Resolution: Arbitration, Chambers Global/Chambers Asia, 2020-2021
• “Rising Star” for International Arbitration, Legal500, 2020-2021
• “Next Generation Lawyer” for International Arbitration, Legal500, 2018-2019