PROFESSIONALS
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PROFESSIONALS Introduce
Wonsik Yoon Attorney at Law
T. +82-2-543-9786 F. +82-2-543-9780 M. wsyoon.blp@gmail.com
Wonsik Yoon is a co-managing partner of BLP Law Offices. He is a member of the Korean Bar Association and the State Bar of California. Prior to joining BLP in 2019, he was a partner at Barun Law LLC for 16 years. At Barun, Mr. Yoon served as the Co-Chair of the International Arbitration & Cross-Border Litigation Practice Group. Prior to practicing law, Mr. Yoon worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a diplomatic official in charge of international commerce and international economic cooperation.
Mr. Yoon has handled numerous international arbitration cases before leading institutions including KCAB, AAA/ICDR, ICC, LCIA and CAS both as counsel and arbitrator. He has also successfully represented domestic and foreign clients in court proceedings in multiple jurisdictions including the Supreme Court of Korea. He also has extensive experience in general corporate, real estate, M&A, international transaction, and cross-border investment matters.
Mr. Yoon currently serves as a director of the Korean Arbitrators Association, member of the international panel of the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board, board member of Korean Drug Co., Ltd., and member of Alternative Investment Committee of the National Pension Fund. He was recognized by Asialaw as a Leading Lawyer for Dispute Resolution & Litigation in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and a Notable Practitioner in 2020 for Dispute Resolution.
Education
1998 - 1999 University of Washington School of Law (LL.M)
1987 - 1989 Judicial Research and Training Institute of the Supreme Court of Korea
1977 - 1981 Seoul National University (B.S. in Economics)
Professional Career
2019 ~ now Partner, BLP Law Offices
2003 ~ 2019 Partner, Barun Law LLC
2000 ~ 2003 Partner, Yoon & Yang LLC (formerly Kim, Shin & Yu)
2000 Foreign Attorney, Carney, Badley, Smith & Spellman
1980 ~ 1983 Diplomatic Official, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

2017 ~ now Board Member, Korean Drug Co., Ltd.
2015 ~ now Member, Investment Deliberation Committee of the Teachers’ Pension Fund
2013 ~ now Member, Alternative Investment Committee of the National Pension Fund
2012 ~ now Member, Risk Management Committee of the Korea Foundation Fund
2012 ~ now Director, Korean Association of Arbitration Studies
2011 ~ now International Arbitrator, Korean Commercial Arbitration Board
2009 ~ now Director, Korean Arbitrators Association
2004 ~ now Arbitrator, Korean Commercial Arbitration Board
Representative Experience
International Arbitration
- Representing a global nuclear energy company against a Korean company in international arbitration cases before the KCAB in connection with nuclear power plant construction projects.
- Represented a global software company in the International Chamber of Commerce arbitration against a major Korean automotive parts manufacturer involving a software licensing agreement.
- Represented a major US medical imaging company in AAA/ICDR arbitration against a Korean company involving a dispute over a trade secret infringement.
- Represented a Korean company against a US company in AAA/ICDR arbitration in connection with an agency agreement for the sales of automotive parts to global automotive manufacturers.
- Represented a Saudi company in connection with an international arbitration case before the LCIA concerning the construction of a production plant for chemical products in the Middle East.
- Represented a French company against a major Korean construction company in an international arbitration before the KCAB in connection with a power plant construction project in the Middle East.
- Represented a US supplier of equipment used in construction of a polysilicon manufacturing facility in Korea, against a KCAB arbitration claim brought by a major Korean construction company.
- Represented a UK company in a KCAB international arbitration case against a state-owned company in Korea concerning an installation agreement of a security facility for the construction of the Incheon International Airport.
- Represented a US defense company in a KCAB international arbitration against the Korean government involving a dispute over a purchase and installation agreement for radar equipment in connection with construction of the radar sites for the Korean Air Force.
- Represented a Bangladesh company in a KCAB international arbitration against a Korean company involving a dispute over defects in the textile goods manufacturing equipment.
International Litigation(Overseas and Korean Litigation)
- Represented a Korean company in a US lawsuit against MEMC Inc. regarding breach of polysilicon supply agreement.
- Advised Exxon Mobil in a US lawsuit against a Korean company regarding defects in the heavy construction equipment.
- Advised Broadcom Corporation on Korean law issues and assisted in gathering evidence in Korea in relation to a U.S. lawsuit against Qualcomm Inc.
- Represented Korean companies in foreign lawsuits seeking enforcement of Korean court judgments relating to bankruptcy of Korean financial institutions.
- Advised Skyhook Wireless Inc. on Korean law issues and assisted in gathering evidence in Korea in relation to a U.S. lawsuit against Google Inc.
- Successfully represented a Korean shareholder in management rights dispute cases against a foreign shareholder before Korean courts concerning a joint venture confectionary company in Korea.
- Successfully represented a foreign shareholder in management rights dispute cases before Korean courts against another foreign shareholder concerning a cosmetic company.
- Successfully represented foreign companies doing business in Korea concerning various labor law-related disputes between company and its employees.
- Successfully obtained enforcement judgments from the Korean courts for foreign judgments and arbitral awards and provided assistance in collection.
- Represented and advised foreign clients in criminal cases carried out before Korean investigation agencies and courts
Corporate
- Hapag Lloyd Korea in its merger with UASC Korea
- Calbee, Inc., a Japanese company, in its joint venture establishment in Korea with Haitai Confectionary & Foods Co., Ltd.
- Erae Automotive Systems Co., Ltd. in its business operations split-off
- Taeyoung F&B Co., Ltd., in its franchise business relationship to “Zoo Coffee”
- Foreign companies including GE, Deutche Bank, and ING in Korean real estate investments
- Posmate Co., Ltd., in its subsidiary establishment in Saudi Arabia
- Foreign companies, including CSAV Group, Air New Zealand, and Ethiopian Airline in Korean branch/subsidiary establishments
- Korea Cadastral Survey Corporation, in its cadastral survey project carried out in Jamaica through the formation of an international consortium
- Palm Clean Energy Inc., in its project to develop a molybdenum mine in Canada
- Foreign companies, including Cartier, Marubeni, and Nichias in rehabilitation and bankruptcy proceedings in Korea
Publications
- Financial Services Disputes (1st Edition): South Korea Chapter (Global Legal Insights, 2019) (co-authored)
- SIAC Articles: An Introduction to North Korea’s External Economic Arbitration Act (Singapore International Arbitration Centre, 2018) (co-authored)
- Korean Arbitration Review (9th Issue): Recognition and Enforcement of the Exemplary Damages Portion of an International Arbitration Award in Korean Courts (Korean Commercial Arbitration Board, 2018) (co-authored)
- International Arbitration (3rd Edition): South Korea Chapter (Global Legal Insights, 2017) (co-authored)
- Practical Law Global Guide: Enforcement of Judgments and Arbitral Awards, South Korea Chapter (Thompson Reuters, 2015) (co-authored)
- Commercial Litigation: European Lawyer Reference Series, South Korean Chapter (Thomson Reuters, 2011) (co-authored)
Admissions
1989 Admitted to the Korean Bar Association
2002 Admitted to the State Bar of California
Languages
Korean, English, and Japanese