Kevin (Woo Hyuk) Choi

Kevin Choi is a senior foreign attorney at Shin & Kim, specializing in corporate and finance matters. He also plays a key role in advising and managing relationships with major clients, including global financial institutions, asset management firms, leading Korean conglomerates and prominent companies in the entertainment, insurance and industrial sectors.

With over 25 years of experience in both private practice and in-house legal roles in Seoul and New York, Mr. Choi advises domestic and international clients on a broad range of corporate, financial and regulatory matters. His expertise spans cross-border financing, capital markets, M&As, real estate finance, regulatory compliance, restructuring and insolvency.

Prior to rejoining Shin & Kim in 2017, Mr. Choi served for seven years as a senior member of the Asia-Pacific legal and Korea management teams at The Royal Bank of Scotland, overseeing legal and regulatory matters relating to its Korean banking and securities operations. Earlier in his career, he practiced at leading international law firms in New York and Seoul, advising multinational corporations and financial institutions on complex financing and capital markets transactions

• Advised global banks and securities firms on a broad range of financial transactions, including syndicated loans, Arirang bond and floating rate note issuances, and guarantees, as well as business operations and compliance matters.
• Advised foreign financial institutions on Korean financial regulatory matters, including licensing requirements and shareholding disclosure obligations.
• Represented foreign asset managers in financial regulatory and compliance matters, including reviews of management accountability frameworks and regulatory investigations conducted by the Financial Supervisory Service.
• Advised a leading Korean entertainment company on a wide range of legal matters, including shareholders' meetings, civil and criminal proceedings involving malicious online comments and defamation, and overseas business operations.
• Advised major Korean conglomerates on various corporate legal matters, including concurrent listings of parent companies and subsidiaries, international disputes and arbitration, and cross-border M&A transactions.
• Represented a major global hedge fund in connection with its investment in a Korean unicorn company.
• Advised foreign real estate asset managers on Korean real estate transactions, data center investment structures, and equity acquisitions and divestitures.
• Represented overseas asset managers in connection with real estate project financing (PF) loans and investment transactions in Korea.
• Advised numerous foreign asset managers on the registration of investment funds in Korea.
• Advised major Korean credit card companies, REITs, and foreign asset managers on initial public offerings (IPOs).
• Represented global investment firms and major Korean credit card companies in cross-border securitization transactions.
• Advised a major Korean bank on the issuance of covered bonds.
• Advised foreign financial institutions on the establishment of Korean branches, local business operations, and employment and labor matters.
• Advised a major Korean insurance company on new business ventures and product development, including patent applications, membership services, and AI-based insurance products.
• Advised a foreign entertainment company on casino operations and anti-money laundering (AML) compliance matters.