A Korean appellate court ruled that a hospital employee who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome and nerve paralysis after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine should be recognized as having suffered an occupational injury that is compensable under Korea’s Workers’ Compensation Benefit System. The Seoul High Court ruled in favor of the Plaintiff in an appeal of a lawsuit denying benefits by the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service. Korea’s COVID-19 Vaccine Workers’ Compensation Occupational Injury Case Holding of the Court of First Instance The Plaintiff filed an administrative lawsuit to
Continue readingCategory: Korea Dispute Resolution
Korean Court Holds Startup CEO Personally Liable for Stock Repurchase: Implications for VC Contracts
A recent ruling by the Seoul Central District Court enforces a personal stock repurchase obligation against a startup CEO, potentially setting a precedent that may shift how venture capital agreements are structured in Korea. On July 16, 2025, the 46th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Hyeong-cheol) ruled in favor of a venture capital firm in a lawsuit concerning the enforcement of a stock repurchase clause. The suit (2024 Gahap 59259) was filed by Venture Capital Company A against Mr. B, the
Continue readingKorean Administrative Court Rules Legal Executive Not a “Worker” Under Korean Labor Standards Act
The Seoul Administrative Court dismissed a lawsuit claiming unfair dismissal by an in-house counsel and registered director in a landmark decision impacting the classification of high-ranking/high-paid corporate officials as “workers” under the Korean Labor Standards Act. The Seoul Administrative Court held that an in-house attorney who concurrently served as a registered director and earned over KRW 700 million annually is not considered a “worker” under the Labor Standards Act of Korea. IPG Legal successfully represented company executives in cases of unfair dismissal and successfully defended foreign capital-invested companies against similar
Continue readingEnforcement of Shareholder, Joint Venture and Voting Rights Agreements in Korean Courts
In a pivotal Korean Corporate Governance precedent, the Supreme Court of Korea ruled that if a company violates a “voting rights agreement” and appoints additional directors in violation of that agreement, the other party’s request to dismiss the additional directors appointed in violation of the agreement should be accepted by Korean courts. The Korean Supreme Court further noted that indirect enforcement is also available to the moving party if the company fails to follow the court order. For articles on drafting shareholder agreements, please see “Forming a Joint
Continue readingLotte Family Fued Continues with a Japan Court Derivative Action Against Chairman and Senior Management of Lotte Holdings
Mr. Dong-joo SHIN, the former Vice Chairman of Lotte Holdings and current Chairman of SDJ Corporation, filed a derivative action targeting his younger brother, Mr. Dong-bin SHIN, the incumbent Chairman of Lotte Holdings, along with several senior executives of Lotte. The lawsuit, a shareholder derivative action, was filed in a Tokyo District Court on July 4. According to reports in The Yomiuri Shimbun, Mr. Shin is seeking c. 14.4 billion yen (equivalent to around 136 billion Korean won) in damages on behalf of the company. The complaint
Continue readingKorean Supreme Court Affirms Disability Discrimination Holding Against Korea Post
In September of 2023, the Korean Supreme Court delivered a landmark ruling in the area of guardianship and disability rights in Korea. In the Korean Supreme Court Case 2020Da301308, the Supreme Court of Korea held that a state-run entity, the Korea Post, engaged in discriminatory practices by imposing additional restrictions on an individual under limited adult guardianship beyond those set by the Korean Family Court. This ruling strengthens core principles of the adult guardianship system: respect for autonomy, proportional intervention, and institutional accountability under the Anti-Discrimination Against
Continue readingProtecting Technology in Korea through Filing a Criminal Suit Against an IP Violator
The following case demonstrates that companies doing business in Korea can help protect intellectual property in Korea by aggressively defending intellectual property rights through Korean courts. For an article on pragmatic approaches to protecting your IP under Korean Law, please see: How to Protect Your Intellectual Property in Korea. The Korean Supreme Court upheld the sentence of the vice president of a SK Hynix partner company who leaked key SK Hynix core semiconductor technology and equipment drawings to a Chinese company. Supreme Court’s SK Hynix Trade Secret
Continue readingProtecting your Brand from Grey Market Products Coming Into or Out of Korea
Parallel Importing, in general, is legal in Korea. A grey market import, also known as parallel import, is the sale of a product through unofficial/unauthorized channels. Often, this occurs across international borders. For example, the goods are purchased in the United States, where they are readily available, and then imported into Korea, where they are more expensive or difficult to obtain through official channels. Some manufacturers have different pricing in different markets; thus, they wish to maintain this pricing by restricting these parallel imports. The products themselves
Continue readingIPG Legal: A Trusted Leader in International Inheritance Disputes with Families with Assets in China, Korea, Southeast Asia and North America
Inheritance disputes are rarely simple, especially when they cross international borders and involve multiple family members with differing legal rights, cultural expectations, and personal histories. These complex and often emotionally charged cases require more than just legal expertise—they demand discretion, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of international family and estate law. That’s where IPG Legal excels. Global Disputes, Local Expertise IPG Legal has built a strong reputation as one of the leading international law firms for inheritance disputes between families with assets in Korea, China, Southeast
Continue readingInjunction Granted by Korean Court Against NewJeans: Korean Entertainment Law Updates
In a major decision in Korean Entertainment Law, the unilateral decision of NewJeans to form the group NJZ and perform outside of its agreement with the management company Ador (a subsidiary of HYBE) was deemed a breach of contract by members of NewJeans. The members of NewJeans, who debuted through Ador, announced in November 2024 that their contracts with Ador are terminated due to violation of their exclusive contract. Thereafter, they changed their group name to NJZ. In January 2025, Ador filed a request to the Seoul
Continue reading
You must be logged in to post a comment.