Robert Wachter FCIArb co-heads Shin & Kim’s International Dispute Resolution Practice Group together with Mr. Young Suk Park. He has acted as counsel or arbitrator in international arbitration cases brought under all of the major arbitration rules, including the ICC, KCAB, VIAC, Swiss Chambers, SIAC, LCIA, SCC, JCAA and UNCITRAL arbitration rules.

Mr. Wachter has lectured as an adjunct professor at Seoul National University School of Law, the Supreme Court of Korea (Judicial Research and Training Institute), and Ewha Womans University. He served as the Lex Mundi Asia-Pacific Vice Chair for the Litigation, Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Group from 2018 to 2021 and the Global Chair Elect for the same group from 2021 to 2024. He regularly participates in conferences and seminars on international arbitration. He has published various academic articles about international arbitration and Korean law.

Infrastructure and Construction

• Represented a nuclear power producer in an intellectual property dispute over the right to export nuclear power plants (KCAB Rules)
• Represented an investor in a public private partnership (PPP) infrastructure dispute against a Korean regional government (ICC Rules)
• Represented a Korean municipal government in a public private partnership (PPP) construction dispute brought by the investor (ICC Rules)
• Represented a rolling stock producer in a joint venture and intellectual property licensing dispute against an Indian manufacturer (ICC Rules)
• Represented a Korean supplier in a construction dispute against a Russian contractor for an electricity generation plant in India (SCC Rules)
• Represented an American subcontractor against the Korean contractor in a construction defects dispute involving a collapsed structure (ICC Rules)
• Represented a European party in a dispute against its Korean consortium partner in connection with the construction of a steel production plant (KCAB Rules)
• Represented a Korean insurance company in a dispute over refurbishment of a nuclear power plant reactor (UNCITRAL Rules)
• Represented a Korean power producer in a defects dispute with a foreign steam turbine manufacturer (KCAB Rules)
• Represented a Korean construction company in a costs and delay dispute for an infrastructure project in Thailand
• Represented a Korean construction company against a US supplier in a dispute related to the construction of a refinery in the UAE (ICC Rules)

Life Sciences

• Represented a Korean biotechnology company in a dispute related to its patent licensing contract with a Swiss pharmaceutical company (Swiss Rules)
• Represented a Korean pharmaceutical company in a drug development and licensing dispute against a Russian pharmaceutical company (LCIA Rules)
• Represented a European pharmaceutical company in a dispute with one of its former distributors (Vienna Rules)
• Represented a foreign pharmaceutical company in a licensing dispute with a Korean company concerning a development-stage therapy under consideration by the US FDA (ICC Rules)
• Represented a Swiss implant company in an IP technology transfer dispute against a Korean company (ICC Rules)

Intellectual Property

• Represented a nuclear power producer in an intellectual property and export control dispute over the right to export nuclear power plants (KCAB Rules)
• Represented a Korean licensor in a software licensing dispute with the US licensee (ICC Rules)
• Represented a Chinese online gaming company in a licensing dispute against a Korean gaming company (ICC Rules)
• Represented a Korean energy company in a software licensing dispute against a European ERP software publisher (UNCITRAL Rules)
• Represented a Korean broadcasting company in a dispute against one of its encryption software providers (UNCITRAL Rules)
• Represented a Korean party against a German party in a joint venture and intellectual property rights dispute where the joint venture company produced products used in the semiconductor manufacturing process (ICC Rules)

Offshore, Shipping and Shipbuilding Disputes

• Represented a Korean shipbuilding company in a dispute against a European components supplier for vessels to be supplied under a military procurement contract (ICC Rules)
• Represented an offshore engineering and construction company in a dispute concerning relating to a single-point mooring (SPM) anchoring and undersea pipeline installation project (ICC Rules)
• Represented a Korean steel pipes producer in a dispute against a Norwegian shipping company over a long term contract of affreightment (SIAC Rules)

Telecommunications

• Represented a Korean telecommunications company in a dispute against a US supplier under a defense procurement contract (KCAB Rules)
• Represented a U.S. telecommunications company in a shareholders dispute against an Indonesian media company (ICC Rules)

Distributorship and Franchising

• Represented a Korean telecommunicating company in a contract dispute with a European software publisher (ICC Rules)
• Represented a European distributor in a termination compensation dispute against a Korean optical components manufacturer (KCAB Rules)
• Represented a European pharmaceutical company in a dispute with one of its Scandinavian distributors (Vienna Rules)
• Represented a Korean medical device manufacturer in a distributorship dispute with its former European distributor (ICC Rules)
• Represented a Japanese restaurant franchisor in a dispute against its Korean franchisee (ICC Rules)
• Represented a Korean restaurant franchisor in a dispute against its Vietnamese franchisee (KCAB Rules)

M&A and Tax

• Represented a US company in an M&A dispute in connection with the sale of its Korean subsidiary to another Korean company (ICC Rules)
• Represented a Korean company in a post-closing M&A dispute against a European luxury brand company (KCAB Rules)
• Represented a Swiss implant company in debt-to-equity conversion dispute against a Korean company (ICC Rules)
• Represented a Korean company in a tax indemnity dispute with a U.S. technology company (ICC Rules)

Financial Services

• Represented the majority shareholder against minority shareholders in a dispute over the exercise of a put option (ICC Rules)
• Represented a Hong Kong Company in the enforcement of a guaranty against a Korean company (HKIAC Rules)

Shareholders and Joint Venture

• Represented a Korean steel slag producer in a joint venture dispute with its Canadian partner (ICC Rules)
• Represented a European industrial liquid logistics company in a joint venture dispute with its Korean partners (ICC Rules)
• Represented a Korean telecommunications company in a shareholders dispute against an Indonesian media conglomerate (ICC Rules)
• Represented a German automotive company in a shareholders dispute with the controlling shareholder in a Korean automotive company (JCAA Rules)

Long Term Supply Contracts

• Represented a Korean subsidiary of a European industrial gas supplier in a dispute against a Korean steel producer arising under a long term supply contract (ICC Rules)
• Represented an Eastern European electricity producer in a long term supply agreement dispute brought by a Swiss energy company (Vienna Rules)

Art and Sports

• Represented a group of heirs in a dispute over compensation paid for a Klimt painting looted during WWII (UNCITRAL Rules)
• Represented Korean Olympic gold medalist Tae Hwan Park is a dispute with the Korean Olympic Committee and the Korean Swimming Federation concerning qualification to participate in the 2016 Summer Olympics (CAS Rules and Korean court)

CISG and Trade in Goods

• Represented a Korean energy company in a CISG dispute against a Chinese energy company (KCAB Rules)
• Represented a Korean trading company in a CISG dispute against a Singaporean trading company (SIAC Rules)
• Represented a Swedish logistics company in a dispute over logistics services for a Korean manufacturer (ICC Rules)