Business & Money | Monday 27 April, 2015 12:47 am |

Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the financial and business gateway between the Middle East, Africa and Asia, today welcomed the first Korean law firm – Bae, Kim & Lee (BKL) LLC - into its premises in the presence of Yangho Oh, Chief Operation Partner at BKL LLC, as well as senior partners of the firm-Kap You (Kevin) Kim and Ghun Chul Do.

Leading Korean attorney Hyun Jong (Jason) Kim heads the Dubai operation that aims to deliver high quality legal consultation to Korean companies investing in the MEA region and to countries and companies in the Middle East that are keen to invest in Korea and in the far eastern countries.

The United Arab Emirates is currently home to 160 Korean companies and a 13,000-strong Korean workforce.

His Excellency Essa Kazim, Governor of the Dubai Financial Centre, said: “It’s a great pleasure and honour to welcome our first Korea-based law firm to the DIFC. The establishment of their corporate office here is a positive step in terms of expanding DIFC’s sophisticated portfolio of services and will significantly boost our position as the leading regional financial and business hub. Notably, their presence will help enhance our delivery of world-class legal and regulatory expertise for ensuring the stability of businesses operating out of the hub and the wider region.”

On behalf of the law firm, Yangho Oh, Chief Operation Partner at BKL LLC, said: “As the first Korean Law firm in Middle East, we look forward to providing value added service to clients in the construction, energy, and natural resources domains. We will also play an active role in international arbitration on behalf of our clients in the markets that we target in the region.”

Kevin Kim, Managing Partner of BKL LLC - Dubai, said: “We are confident that the DIFC arbitration centre and DIFC court are fast emerging as the regional hub for dispute resolution in the Middle East. As a contributing and proactive member of the DIFC community, we look forward to BKL playing an important role in dispute management in the Middle East.”

In addition to the Dubai office, BKL plans to open overseas offices in Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City) and Hong Kong in the first half of 2015.

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About Dubai International Financial Centre
The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is the financial hub for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, providing a world-class platform connecting the region’s markets with the economies of Europe, Asia and the Americas. It also facilitates the growth in South-South trade and investment. An onshore, international financial centre, DIFC provides a stable, mature and secure base for financial institutions to develop their wholesale businesses.

The Centre offers all the elements found in the world’s most successful financial industry ecosystems, including an independent regulator, an independent judicial system with a common-law framework, a global financial exchange, inspiring architecture, powerful, enabling support services and a vibrant business community. The infrastructure within the district features ultra-modern office space, retail outlets, cafes and restaurants, art galleries, residential apartments, public green areas and hotels.

Located midway between the global financial centres of London in the West and Singapore in the East, DIFC (GMT +4) fills a vital time-zone gap with a workday that bridges the market and business hours of financial centres in both Asia and North America.

Currently, more than 1,225 active registered companies operate from the Centre, including 21 of the world’s top 25 banks, 11 of the world’s top 20 money managers, 7 of the top 10 insurance companies, and 9 of the top 10 law firms. Nearly 18,000 people work in the Centre.

DIFC continues to pursue expansion into new services and sectors within the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region, an area comprising over 72 countries with an approximate population of 2.8 billion and nominal GDP of US$ 6.9 trillion.

For further information, please visit our website: www.difc.ae, or follow us on Twitter @DIFC.

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Sonali Rekhi
APCO Worldwide
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Email: [email protected]

About Bae, Kim & Lee
Founded in 1980, Seoul-based BKL is one of the largest law firms in Korea. Grounded in many years of experience, we are a leading firm that provides legal services in a broad range of practice areas such as corporate law and governance, mergers & acquisitions, complex litigation, international arbitration, antitrust, joint ventures & strategic alliances, tax, intellectual property, regulatory and employment law matters, among others.

With over 500 attorneys and other professionals located throughout our offices in Seoul, Beijing and Shanghai, BKL has a diverse mix of Korean attorneys, international attorneys, tax advisors, industry analysts, former government officials and other specialists in various practice areas that work together in multidisciplinary teams to provide full-service capabilities necessary to meet the needs of our clients.

BKL advises a broad range of clients such as Korean conglomerates and government organizations, as well as major international financial institutions and multinational companies based in the US, Europe and throughout Asia.
We are recognized as a leading law firm in Korea, and are only one of a handful of law firms in Seoul that work with international clients on a daily basis. Our professionals include many individuals that speak more than one language and that have worked at law firms in other countries, giving them experience and familiarity with cross-border transactions to assist international client objectives in Korea as well as Korean client objectives overseas. BKL is also a member of the World Law Group and its global network of over 50 law firms, and has strong relationships with financial, tax and accounting advisors in various jurisdictions throughout the world, which allows BKL to serve its clients with a global reach.

Client service is the foundation of our legal practice, and our professionals view themselves as strategic partners to assist clients achieve their business and legal objectives. Each BKL professional is deeply committed to our clients, and understands the importance of being responsive to and available for clients’ needs.