YK announced on the 31st they have appointed Professor Kim Hwa-jin from Seoul National University School of Law as an advisor. He is a leading expert in corporate governance and ESG in Korea.

김화진 법무법인 YK 고문 [사진=법무법인 YK]

Professor Kim, a pioneer in Korea's corporate law, has deep expertise in institutional design and corporate consulting. He graduated in Mathematics from Seoul National University, earned a Master of Laws from Harvard, and a Doctorate in Law from the University of Munich. He has taught at Michigan, Stanford, Tel Aviv, and New York University and authored papers for Oxford and Cambridge journals. He chairs Samsung Securities and serves as Senior Outside Director at Hyundai Mobis. His books, such as "Ownership and Management" (2005) and "Corporate Governance and Corporate Finance" (2010), are key texts recognized by Korea's National Academy of Sciences.

Kim has led institutional design and policy as Chair of the National Pension Service's Governance Improvement Advisory and Korea ESG Standards Institute's Voting Rights Committees. He focuses on issues like board operations and shareholder protection at Samsung Securities and Hyundai Mobis. He has been an outside director and ESG Committee Chair at HD Hyundai and commemorated Asan Chung Ju-yung’s legacy in a 2021 publication.

On the 11th, Kim spoke at a seminar about "The Future of Korean Corporate Governance and Amended Commercial Law," highlighting the need for the capacity to handle ESG, shareholder protection, and law amendments.

At YK, Kim will advise on shareholder disputes, damages lawsuits post-law amendments, shareholder protection during management rights sales, board operation improvements, and ESG strategy development.

YK stated, "Professor Kim's expertise is crucial as commercial law amendments and ESG regulations rise. His experience will provide practical guidance for our corporate clients' decision-making."