Mr. Young-Hoon Kim is a partner at Shin & Kim, specializing in defense and the defense industry, national and public contracts, military-related criminal and disciplinary matters, and a wide range of legal advisory services.

Mr. Kim was the first Air Force long-term judge advocate appointed through the 2008 Korean Bar Examination, and has served in various key judicial positions within the military, including Military Judge at the Air Force Court, Chief Prosecutor of the Air Force High Prosecutors’ Office, and Chief Public Defender of the Military Court. In 2022, he was appointed as the inaugural Chief Prosecutor of the Air Force and became the youngest colonel across all branches of the Korean Armed Forces, underscoring his deep expertise and unique insight in the specialized field of military law.

In 2019, Mr. Kim became the first military judge advocate to serve as an Administrative Officer in the Office of the Legal Secretary to the Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Blue House, where he was responsible for providing legal advice on national defense and security matters, including those related to the defense industry, for about two years. He also served for many years as a judge advocate, where he was responsible for matters related to defense capability, defense industry, military logistics, facilities, and national property at the Ministry of National Defense and the Air Force, through which he developed a broad network and extensive experience in national defense and defense industry matters.

During his tenure as the inaugural Chief Prosecutor of the Air Force, he led major institutional reforms, including the planning and introduction of the Air Force’s AI-based case management system and the establishment of the Air Force Prosecutors’ Soldiers Committee. He also strengthened the military’s rule-of-law framework through extensive training, counseling, and grievance-resolution programs for service members. Drawing on his extensive public-sector and defense-related expertise, he continues to provide comprehensive and practical legal advice at Shin & Kim.