Sang-Wook Han is a senior attorney, who practices primarily in Kim & Chang’s Intellectual Property Practice and Japan Practice. Mr. Han specializes in IP litigation, trade secret litigation, and various disputes relating to Patent Law, Unfair Competition Prevention Law, and Copyright Law among others. He is particularly known for his expertise and experience in IP and technology-related transactions, as well as license contract negotiations.

Since joining the firm in 1991, Mr. Han’s practice has focused on domestic and international IP-related disputes. Mr. Han also counsels major multinational companies on a wide range of issues, from strategic client counseling to IP portfolio management. For nearly thirty years, Mr. Han has advised multinational companies in evolving technology, Internet-related matters, patents, trademarks and copyrights, as well as complex litigation/disputes.

International Litigation and Cross-Border Dispute Resolution

His international litigation and cross-border dispute experience has been built over his three decades of law practice. Mr. Han has directly handled IP litigations in other countries, such as the US, Japan, Europe, and China. In particular, he has extensive experience in successfully leading the coordination of patent litigations simultaneously brought up in various regions, such as the US, Japan, Europe and China. He has also successfully advised a number of domestic and international clients on technology-related resolutions and license negotiations.

Japan Expertise

Mr. Han’s Japan-related practice has been built on his extensive network and ties with several major Japanese businesses through his experiences at major Japanese law firms, including Matsuo & Kosugi (1991), Nakamura & Partner (1995) and Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu (1997). In addition, he developed his expertise on Japanese companies and Japanese legal practice by studying at Tokyo University, with a concentration in intellectual property (1997-1998). 

Leadership and Industry Contributions 

Mr. Han has been an active contributor and leader in the Korean legal industry. Among his leadership positions include: serving as a member of the Internet Address Dispute Resolution Committee (2001-2010); a member of the Economy Planning Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (2013-2014); and as the president of IP Community of the Seoul Bar Association (2014-2016). Most recently, he served as the president of the Korean Intellectual Property Lawyers Association (“KIPLA”) (2017-2019.2.). He is highly regarded for his meaningful contributions to the improvement of the IP-related law practice in Korea, and has successfully hosted various activities and events, including Bench & Bar with the Patent Court and the Seoul District Court. Mr. Han is a founding member of the Korean National Assembly IP Hub Country Promotion Committee, and was also a member of the National Intellectual Property Committee.

Over the years, Mr. Han has been invited to speak on Korean IP law and related dispute resolution matters in seminars, both in Korea and internationally. Since 2016, he has been invited to lecture on intellectual property in the Hokkaido University Summer Seminar held in August every year. 

Mr. Han has authored or co-authored several publications, both in Korea and in Japan. Among his publications include the Korean translation of “Patent Laws,” a Japanese-language authoritative publication on Japanese patent law authored by Professor Nakayama at Tokyo University, and co-authored with Professor Nakayama a book titled “Future of IPR,” which was published in Japanese and in Korean in 2011. 

In addition, Mr. Han has received numerous awards and recognitions for his IP-related expertise by global legal media. Most notably, he has been recognized as an “IP Star” by Managing Intellectual Property (Euromoney, 2014), as a “Leading Individual” by the Chambers Asia-Pacific Guide: Intellectual Property (Chambers and Partners, 2014, 2016-2024), and as a “Leading Individual” in Chambers Global: Intellectual Property (Chambers and Partners, 2011-2014, 2016-2024).

Education / Bar Membership

Mr. Han received his LL.B. from the College of Law, Seoul National University in 1984, and graduated from the Judicial Research and Training Institute of the Supreme Court of Korea in 1988. He received his LL.M. from the Graduate School of Law, Seoul National University in 1991, and from Harvard Law School in 1997. He was a foreign researcher at the Tokyo University Law School from 1997 to 1998. 

He is admitted to both the Korean bar and the New York bar, and speaks Japanese and English, in addition to his native Korean.