Hyunyoung Kim
PartnerIntroduction
Ms. Hyunyoung Kim is a partner at Shin & Kim whose primary practice areas include constitutional litigation—such as constitutional complaints (including constitutional complaints against court decisions, petitions challenging suspensions of indictment, and petitions challenging non-prosecution dispositions), adjudication on the constitutionality of statutes, competence disputes, and impeachment proceedings—as well as administrative litigation.
After passing the Korean National Bar Examination in 2003, Ms. Kim began her legal career as in-house counsel at the Legal Department of the Hanwha Group Restructuring Headquarters, where she handled various corporate matters including project financing (PF), mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and overseas investment agreements. Thereafter, she served for approximately 19 years at the Constitutional Court of Korea as a Constitutional Research Officer and Senior Constitutional Research Officer, handling a broad spectrum of constitutional cases involving civil liberties, property rights, social rights, criminal matters, and exclusive jurisdiction matters. Ms. Kim also served as a Judicial Research Officer at the Supreme Court of Korea, where she reviewed major constitutional and administrative law cases.
In addition, Ms. Kim held various key positions at the Constitutional Court, including Planning and Coordination Officer, Head of the Exclusive Division, and Senior Constitutional Research Officer in the Preliminary Review Division dedicated to constitutional complaints against court decisions, thereby gaining extensive experience across all areas of constitutional adjudication practice. In particular, she possesses deep expertise in matters under the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court, including constitutional complaints, adjudication on the constitutionality of statutes, competence disputes, and impeachment proceedings.
Areas of Expertise
Professional Career
- 2026-PresentShin & Kim LLC
- 2020-2026Senior Constitutional Rapporteur Judge, The Constitutional Court of Korea
- 2018-2020Research Judge, The Supreme court of Korea
- 2017Examiner, the 7th National Bar Examination
- 2014Examiner, the 56th Judicial Examination (Second Examination)
- 2007-2018Constitutional Rapporteur Judge, The Constitutional Court of Korea
- 2006-2007In-house counsel, Hanwha Group Restructuring Office
- 2006Judicial Research & Training Institute of the Supreme Court of Korea
Education
- 2012-2014Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain (Visiting Scholar)
- 2008-2009Korea University Graduate School (LL.M. coursework completed, Constitutional Law)
- 1996-2000Sungkyunkwan University, College of Law (LL.B.)
- 1990-1995Instituto Santísimo Sacramento, Argentina
Qualifications
- 2006Admitted to bar, Korea
Languages
Korean, English, Spanish
Professional Activities
- Constitutional Complaint against Article 84 of the Act on the Maintenance and Improvement of Urban Areas and Dwelling Conditions for Residents – Deeming officers of housing reconstruction cooperatives and maintenance business operators as public officials (Case Commentary on Constitutional Court Decisions, 2007)
- Constitutional Complaint against Article 45, Paragraph 1 of the Administration and Treatment of Correctional Institution Inmates Act – Prohibition of unconvicted detainees from attending religious services (Case Commentary on Constitutional Court Decisions, 2011)
- Constitutional Complaint against Article 270, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Act – Constitutionality of the crime of abortion (Case Commentary on Constitutional Court Decisions, 2012)
- Request for Adjudication on the Constitutionality of the Proviso of Article 93, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 11 of the former Road Traffic Act – Mandatory revocation of driver's license for criminal acts involving motor vehicles (Case Commentary on Constitutional Court Decisions, 2015)
- Constitutional Complaint against Article 4, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 1 of the Immigration Act – Exit ban on persons currently undergoing criminal trial (Case Commentary on Constitutional Court Decisions, 2015)
- Competence Dispute between National Assembly Members and the Speaker of the National Assembly – The "National Assembly Advancement Act" Case (Case Commentary on Constitutional Court Decisions, 2016)
- Constitutional Complaint against Article 2, Subparagraph 1(e) of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act – The "Kim Young-ran Act" Case (Case Commentary on Constitutional Court Decisions, 2016)
- Request for Adjudication on the Constitutionality of Article 93, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 12 of the former Road Traffic Act – Mandatory revocation of driver's license for the theft of another person’s motor vehicle (Case Commentary on Constitutional Court Decisions, 2017)
- Whether Fixed-term Teachers are Eligible for First-Class Teacher Certification for Secondary Schools, Commentary on Supreme Court Precedents No. 115 (Court Library, 2018)
- Whether an Enforcement Decree Provision Restricting Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Under "Control or Dependency of Large Corporations" from Participating in Competitive Bidding is Unconstitutional/Void, Commentary on Supreme Court Precedents No. 120 (Court Library, 2019)
- Disability Registration Applications by Persons with Tourette’s Syndrome and Administrative Actions Taken Thereon, Commentary on Supreme Court Precedents No. 122 (Court Library, 2020)
- Request for Adjudication on the Constitutionality of Article 30 of the Telecommunications Business Act – Prohibition and punishment of providing certificates, etc., to others for the opening of prepaid phones (Case Commentary on Constitutional Court Decisions, 2022)