South Korean law firm Yoon & Yang is focusing on enhancing its M&A and corporate advisory services as it looks to expand into Europe this year on the back of rising cross-border transactions, said Managing Partner Jinsu Jeong.
The firm, which has a presence in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Uzbekistan, is leaning toward establishing a bureau in Paris to explore deals in Europe, Jeong told this news service.
South Korea recorded the highest outbound M&A in 2018, with USD 15.5bn of 90 deals, while inbound activity recorded the second highest with USD 9.8bn of 48 deals since 2013, according to Mergermarket data. The sectors that saw the biggest leap in both volume and value for outbound investment include financial services (USD 1.6bn of 10 deals); pharma, medical and biotechnology (PMB) (USD 258m of nine deals); and agriculture (USD 140m of five deals), the data shows.
Similarly, although a majority of small-sized business owners are more attached to their family business, current high tax rates and laws are making it challenging for owners to hand over the business to the next generation, he noted.
As such, the firm provides consulting services on succession to small to mid-sized enterprises and family businesses. It also has been advising deals for owners who look to sell their assets to private equity or strategic buyers, Jeong said.
Yoon & Yang which is also known as ‘Hwawoo’ was formed from a merger of Yoon & Partners and Roh & Yang in 2003 and currently has 291 lawyers and 34 foreign legal counsels covering a range of practices, and 90 other employees.
by Kate Kim in Seoul, with analytics by Gerry Tee