Paul J. Kim

Paul Kim is a partner in the Corporate and Securities Practice Group. He is also the Representative of the Firm’s Foreign Legal Consultant Office in Seoul.

Areas of Practice

Paul Kim advises clients on cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A), private equity, venture capital and securities transactions, restructurings and multi-jurisdictional disputes.

Paul has more than 25 years of experience representing a diverse range of clients operating in numerous industries and in many countries, practicing exclusively in New York for nearly 20 years where he focused on advising clients in M&A and other transactional matters. He has also been practicing as a foreign legal consultant in Seoul for nearly 10 years. His clients include private equity funds and investment managers, industrial and manufacturing companies, pharmaceutical and biotech companies and commercial banks and other financial institutions.

Paul has particularly broad experience representing Korean, European and US clients in complex multi-jurisdictional transactions, restructurings and other matters, and has been recognized on multiple occasions by Chambers Global, Chambers Asia Pacific and Asian Legal Business.

Experience

Representative Recent Experience Since 2020 

• Represented Valuence Merger Corp. I in connection with its U.S. initial public offering (IPO) of 22,009,963 units raising gross proceeds of $220,099,630 and related sponsor financing. The units were listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “VMCAU.” Valuence Merger Corp. I is a blank check company incorporated in the Cayman Islands whose business purpose is to effect a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination (SPAC) with one or more businesses in Asia (excluding China, Hong Kong, and Macau) with a particular focus on breakthrough technology in life sciences and/or sustainable technology. 
• Represented an affiliate of Credian Partners, a Korean private equity fund sponsor, in connection with its $20 million private investment in public entity (“PIPE”) investment in Spring Valley Acquisition Corp.
• Represented WJ-IBKS Global Fund I, co-managed by WJ Private Equity and IBK Securities, in connection with its $5 million PIPE investment in Ivanhoe Capital Acquisition Corp.
• Represented Doosan Corporation in connection with a Collaboration Agreement, Products Supply Agreement and Manufacturing Supply and License Agreement entered into with Movandi Corporation, a California based venture backed company. 
• Represented Doosan Corporation and Doosan Bobcat Co., Ltd. in connection with (i) advising and assisting in the preparation and submission of pre-merger notification filings required under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (HSR Act) and related analysis and (ii) representing such Doosan Group companies in all matters relating to the HSR Act with respect to the sale of Doosan Corporation’s industrial vehicles business group.  
• Represented a large Korean conglomerate as special US corporate, antitrust and CFIUS counsel in connection with its $100 million purchase of Series B Preferred Stock of a U.S. based medical products company.

• Represented an affiliate of Mirae Asset Global Investments in connection with stock repurchases and the return of proceeds relating to a disposition of its holdings in a U.S. and global franchise and its subsequent liquidation and dissolution. 

• Represented a top 3 Korean asset management company in its participation as a lender in term loan facilities extended to Beacon OSM Holdings LLC and its affiliates in a private credit transaction. 

• Represented a top 3 Korean asset management company in the transfer and purchase of commitments, rights and obligations of affiliates of CVC Credit Partners in a European unitranche facility extended pursuant to a facilities agreement entered into with borrower Seattle Holdco Limited and its affiliates.
• Represented a top 3 Korean asset management company in its investment as a limited partner in a co-investment vehicle formed by Nyca Partners to purchase an existing shareholder’s stake in Payoneer. 
• Represented a top 3 Korean asset management company in its assignment, assumption and purchase of first lien term loans extended by affiliates of Goldpoint Private Credit pursuant to a second lien credit agreement entered into with borrower Output Services Group, Inc. and its affiliates. 
• Represented a top 3 Korean asset management company in the amendment and rescheduling of interest payable on existing second lien term loans in the principal amount of $5 million of Output Services Group, Inc. and its affiliates held by such asset management company pursuant to a “Cooperation Agreement”. 
• Represented a top 3 Korean asset management company in the subscription to notes having an aggregate principal amount of EUR (€) 10,000,000 issued by Dali Bidco, a French société par actions simplifiée.
• Represented a top 3 Korean asset management company in its capacity as a lender of a leveraged term loan in the principal amount of $15 million to a portfolio company of KKR.
• Represented a top 3 Korean life insurance company in its subscription to and purchase of limited partnership interests in the amount of $25 million from a $600 million global venture capital fund, and related co-investment rights in future investments with such fund. 
• Represented a listed Korean biotechnology company in connection with its issuance and sale of common stock to a Switzerland based immune-oncology biotech company for a purchase price of KRW 3.7 billion.
• Represented Doosan Fuel Cell and Doosan Corporation in connection with strategic collaboration and license agreements entered into with Ceres Power, a global leader in fuel cell and electrochemical technology. 
• Represented an affiliate of Credian Partners, a Korean investment management company, as a selling stockholder in the conversion and sale of its convertible note in Psomagen, a U.S. biotech company that listed its shares on KOSDAQ pursuant to a Korean IPO, and subsequent return of capital and liquidation.

Other Recent Representative Experience

• Represented Mirae Asset Global Investments, one of the largest private equity firms in Korea, and Fila Korea, a leading sportswear and apparel company headquartered in Korea, in their US$1.225 billion acquisition of the Acushnet golf business, the owner of the Titleist and Footjoy golf brands, from Fortune Brands, Inc. The transaction was named “Consumer M&A Deal of the Year” by M&A Advisor magazine and “Korea Deal of the Year” by FinanceAsia magazine.
• Represented Korean private equity funds Mirae Asset Private Equity Partners Fund VII, Neoplux No.1 Private Equity Fund, and Woori Blackstone Korea Opportunity Fund in the sale of over 22 million shares of common stock in the selling shareholder only U.S. initial public offering (IPO) of Acushnet Holdings Corp. (NYSE:GOLF). In a related transaction immediately following the pricing of the IPO, represented Mirae Asset Private Equity Partners Fund VII and Neoplux No.1 Private Equity Fund in their private sale of over 14 million shares of common stock of Acushnet to Magnus Holdings Co. Ltd., an affiliate of Fila Korea Ltd.
• Represented Korean private equity funds controlled by Mirae Asset Private Equity Fund VII in the sale of over 9.165 million shares of common stock of Acushnet Holdings Corp. (NYSE: GOLF) in a selling shareholder only secondary public offering. The transaction was nominated for “Equity Deal of the Year” by Asian Legal Business for the 2018 ALB Korea Law Awards.
• Represented LG Chem Ltd. as U.S. counsel in its acquisition of certain OLED solutions technology and related assets from E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and DuPont Displays, Inc. and related know how transfer and license agreements entered in connection with such acquisition.
• Represented LG Chem Ltd. as U.S. counsel in its acquisition by merger of NanoH2O, Inc., a California-based, venture-backed developer, manufacturer and distributor of reverse-osmosis membranes used for desalination, for a purchase price of approximately US$200 million. Obtained CFIUS approval and early termination under HSR in connection with the acquisition.
• Represented LG Corp. as U.S. counsel in connection with its acquisition, together with LG Chem Ltd. and LG Electronics Inc., of a controlling stake in Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems (US) Inc., a U.S. fuel cell systems company. Obtained CFIUS approval in connection with this transaction.
• Represented one of the largest asset management companies in Korea in connection with the review of its holdings in co-investments made in various venture backed companies valued in excess of $100 million.
• Represented one of the largest asset management companies in Korea in connection with the structuring, formation and documentation of a 50/50 co-GP managed venture capital fund with a venture capital firm based in Singapore that would act as the general partner of an up to $200 million investment fund domiciled in Singapore.
• Represented one of the largest asset management companies in Korea in connection with the establishment of a program to purchase up to US$100 million of peer-to-peer (P2P) loans originated/arranged by a U.S. publicly traded company that is the world's largest peer-to-peer lending platform pursuant to a Master Loan Purchase Agreement and Master Loan Servicing Agreement.
• Represented an affiliate of Hanwha Asset Management Co., Ltd. in its KRW 700 billion preferred stock investment in Doosan Bobcat, the leading compact farm and construction equipment manufacturer in North America.
• Represented Yellomobile in various financing transactions with an aggregate value of approximately $100 million.
• Represented Macrogen, a listed Korean biotechnology and gene sequencing company, in connection with the mergers of its three U.S. affiliates and subsequent issuance by the surviving corporation (now called Psomagen) in such mergers of a convertible note to Korean investors.
• Represented H.I.G. Growth Partners, a leading US growth capital fund manager with more than US$1.5 billion in committed growth capital assets under management, in connection with numerous buyouts and dispositions of portfolio companies in the e-commerce, digital media, internet and other technology sectors.
• Represented Dr. Willmar Schwabe Pharmaceuticals, a leading phytomedicines and related health care products group headquartered in Germany in connection with, among other representations, the following:
  • Representation of its U.S. subsidiary in connection with the acquisition of the business and assets of a leading vitamin, minerals and dietary supplements maker and distributor in the United States.
  • Representation of its global holding company in connection with various transactions and representations relating to its China Operations, including representing such company in certain disputes with private Taiwanese and Hong Kong parties, the consummation of two new supply agreements, new license agreements, a noncompetition agreement and terminations of various existing agreements, with an aggregate transaction value of over €300 million.
  • Representation of its global holding company in connection with the renegotiation of its license agreement with its Korean license.
  • Representation of Nature’s Way, its U.S. subsidiary, in connection with the acquisition of a leading maker of dietary and nutritional supplements in the United States from a private equity fund in a transaction valued at over U.S.$100 million.
• Represented the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan in connection with the establishment of a sponsored Level I American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program in the United States and the use of such facility in certain global executive compensation and benefit programs.

Honors

Chambers Global

Chambers Asia Pacific

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers, 2025

Media Mentions

Digital Media