Law Firm YK announced on the 31st that it has recruited Professor Kim Hwa-jin from Seoul National University School of Law, a leading authority in corporate governance and ESG fields in Korea, as an advisor.
김화진 법무법인 YK 고문 [사진=법무법인 YK]
Professor Kim is regarded as a 'first-generation scholar' in the study of corporate law in Korea, possessing both institutional design and corporate field consulting experience. He graduated from the Department of Mathematics at Seoul National University and obtained a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School and a Doctorate in Law from the University of Munich in Germany. He has been actively involved in the international academic community, teaching corporate governance courses at institutions such as the University of Michigan, Stanford University, Tel Aviv University, and New York University, and publishing papers in journals from Oxford and Cambridge. Currently, he serves as the Chairman of the Board at Samsung Securities and as a Senior Outside Director at Hyundai Mobis. His publications, including "Ownership and Management" (2005), "Mergers and Acquisitions" (2008), and "Corporate Governance and Corporate Finance" (2010), have been selected as excellent academic books by the National Academy of Sciences of Korea and are considered key textbooks in governance studies.
He has participated in institutional design and policy consultation as the Chairman of the Governance Improvement Advisory Committee of the National Pension Service, the Chairman of the Voting Rights Committee of the Korea ESG Standards Institute, and a public director of the Korea Financial Investment Association. Currently, he is addressing specific issues such as board operations and internal control, ESG regulation response, and the establishment of shareholder protection measures at Samsung Securities and Hyundai Mobis. He has also served as an outside director and Chairman of the ESG Committee at HD Hyundai and was a member of the Hyundai Memorial Project Committee for the 20th anniversary of Asan Chung Ju-yung, publishing "Asan Chung Ju-yung Legacy" (2021) at Seoul National University, which drew significant attention.
On the 11th, at a seminar on commercial law amendments co-hosted by YK and the Korea In-house Counsel Association, he presented on "The Future of Korean Corporate Governance and Amended Commercial Law," suggesting, "While ESG, shareholder protection, and commercial law amendments are in the right direction, we must consider whether we have the capacity to handle them."
Professor Kim is expected to provide specific advice at YK on issues such as responding to shareholder meeting disputes and damages lawsuits following commercial law amendments, reviewing protection for general shareholders during management rights sales, improving board operations and internal control, and developing corporate strategies during the ESG institutionalization process.
YK stated, "The joining of Professor Kim at a time when commercial law amendments and ESG regulations are becoming prominent holds significant meaning for preparing for the institutional challenges faced by corporate clients," and expressed expectations that "based on his academic and field experience, he will provide practical advice in the corporate decision-making process."