BAE, KIM & LEE LLC said on the 11th that it hired attorneys Hong Jeong-hun and Kim Il-kwon to strengthen its intellectual property (IP) advisory and dispute response capabilities.
Attorney Hong Jeong-hun studied electrical engineering and statistics at Seoul National University and applied mathematics at Harvard University in the United States. After that, at Lee & Ko, Hong handled litigation related to global patents and trade secret disputes before U.S. federal courts and the International Trade Commission (ITC).
Hong has handled patent disputes and risk analyses in the electrical and electronics and pharmaceutical and biotech sectors, as well as advising on clinical trials and marketing authorizations. In a trade secret case over a botulinum strain in which Hong represented a client, prosecutors issued a no-charge disposition. The botulinum strain is the raw material for the cosmetic medical drug "Botox."
Hong also has experience handling disputes that intertwine technology, criminal, and labor issues, including the criminal case over humidifier disinfectants that was remanded by the Supreme Court and an injunction case seeking to bar a former employee from joining an electronics company. Hong is also licensed in New York state and took charge of e-discovery in U.S. patent litigation and compliance based on digital forensics and document management.
Attorney Kim Il-kwon majored in life sciences at Seoul National University and completed an integrated master's and doctoral program in life sciences at the university's graduate school. Drawing on knowledge of the pharmaceutical and biotech fields, Kim worked at Lee & Ko on IP and healthcare matters.
Kim has represented multinational pharmaceutical companies in drug patent litigation and advisory work. In particular, Kim defended against patent infringement allegations on behalf of domestic biosimilar (biopharmaceutical generic) manufacturers and domestic chemical corporations. Kim also won cases seeking to overturn price-cut orders to lower drug prices and for unjust enrichment related to pharmaceutical impurities.
Hong and Kim also jointly handled patent dispute litigation over human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatments between multinational pharmaceutical companies. The suit proceeded simultaneously in nine countries, including Korea, the United States, Europe, and Japan. Based on these experiences, the two attorneys are expected to join the Bae, Kim & Lee IP Group and the technology dispute and investigation response center.
Nam Moon-gi, head of the BAE, KIM & LEE LLC IP Group, said, "With the addition of two attorneys who possess both technological understanding and data analysis capabilities, the expertise of the Bae, Kim & Lee IP Group has been strengthened," adding, "We will be able to respond more precisely to high-difficulty cases involving complex issues in IP and healthcare."