Regulatory

Establishment of Business Presence

We provide assistance on all aspects of the regulatory approval process for establishing insurance subsidiaries or branches in Korea, including preparing the regulatory filings to obtain the required licenses and registering the newly established subsidiary or branch. 

Compliance

The Korean insurance industry is a highly regulated industry, which is subject to regulatory supervision at all key phases of business operation, including product development, insurance solicitation, solvency and asset management/investment.  Accordingly, compliance with applicable laws and regulations is essential to the success of the business, and we help our clients identify and comply with such laws and regulations in the face of a continuously evolving regulatory framework.  Furthermore, we regularly advise clients on identifying gaps in their compliance programs and developing more robust compliance programs.  We also advise insurance brokers with respect to applicable regulations and compliance. In addition, we provide professional advice on the healthcare, insurance agency, and digital businesses carried out by insurance companies.

Audit

Insurance companies and other entities engaged in insurance-related businesses are subject to strict regulatory audits by the Korean insurance regulatory bodies.  We advise clients in connection with issues identified during regulatory audits and help defend our clients from the imposition of sanctions and other governmental actions resulting from such audits. 

Transactional

Mergers & Acquisitions

We advise insurance and reinsurance companies, financial institutions and other industry participants on M&A, joint ventures and other corporate transactions in the Korean insurance industry.  Utilizing our firm’s market leading capabilities, we have assisted many of the world’s leading insurance companies to complete complex M&A and other corporate transactions in the Korean market.

Reinsurance

We provide advice on insurance companies’ decisions to cease reinsurance, including advising on ceding structure, reviewing reinsurance endorsements and advising on compliance with regulations on reinsurance transactions. 

Transactional Support

In connection with M&A transactions, we also perform insurance-related due diligence and draft and negotiate insurance provisions in the relevant transactional documents. 

Corporate Group Restructuring

We provide advice on major/minor changes to the head office, the local subsidiary, and the major shareholder of a branch of a foreign insurer during a corporate group's restructuring.

Litigation and Disputes

In collaboration with our firm’s litigation and arbitration practices, we represent clients in litigation and arbitration proceedings involving insurance claims, subrogation and other insurance-related disputes. 

Tax and HR 

In collaboration with our firm’s Tax Practice and Labor & Employment Practice, we provide tax and HR advisory consulting for insurance businesses. 

We have represented numerous domestic and foreign insurance companies, reinsurance companies, insurance agents and insurance brokers.

Regulatory

• Preliminary approval of Kakao Pay’s digital non-life insurance business 
• Approval of AIA Life Insurance’s conversion from a branch to a local subsidiary
• Approval on non-life insurance business and establishment of a local branch for Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty
• Approval of establishment of a reinsurance branch for Pacific Life Re
• Approval of Chartis’ conversion from a branch to a local subsidiary
• Establishment of an insurance branch for Genworth Mortgage Insurance
• Establishment of a reinsurance branch for United Guaranty
• Approval of Meritz Insurance’s financial holding company
• Establishment of a reinsurance branch for Hanover Re
• Acquisition of an insurance business license for the first digital non-life insurance company in Korea (Carrot Insurance)
• Introducing co-insurance regulation

Transactional

• Acquisition of Prudential Life by KB Financial
• Sale of Orange Life Insurance to Shinhan Financial
• Sale of PCA Life Insurance to Mirae Asset Life
• Acquisition of Tong Yang Life by VOGO Fund
• Approval for change of large shareholder for ING Life and KB Life
• Acquisition of ERGO Daum Direct by AXA Group
• Investment in Kyobo Life by Affinity Equity Partners and other investors

Litigation and Disputes

• Prevailed in a lawsuit involving cataract treatment
• Prevailed in a lawsuit revoking a Korea Fair Trade Commission (“KFTC”) disposition against a reinsurer in aviation insurance business
• Resolved insurance proceeds dispute through court mediation procedures in connection with a lawsuit involving an export insurance claim against the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation
• Prevailed in a lawsuit involving a naval vessel assembly insurance claim
• Prevailed in a lawsuit regarding defense cost claims in a venture capital asset protection insurance
• Prevailed in a claim case concerning an erection all risks (EAR) insurance contract regarding government-furnished equipment
• Prevailed in fire and property insurance claim litigations involving large scale accidents
• Prevailed in a case against the Financial Supervisory Service’s sanction for alleged manipulation of loss ratio
• Prevailed in a case against the Financial Supervisory Service’s sanction for an alleged false report of financial statements
• Prevailed in a case against the KFTC’s corrective orders and fines imposed on life insurers for alleged collusion in variable life insurance products

Tax and HR 

• Successfully filed a Korea-Singapore bilateral APA (advance pricing agreement) concerning intragroup services in the reinsurance sector
• Successfully defended a life insurer in a tax tribunal case regarding timing of deductibility of suicide insurance claims
• Prevailed in a lawsuit involving tax on executives term insurance
• Successfully represented a life insurer by obtaining a court decision that a telemarketing insurance solicitor is not an employee