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About SJC | English-Speaking Korean Lawyer in Seoul

When Your HQ Asks "Why Is Korea So Different?" — SJ Helps You Answer It.

An English-speaking Korean attorney helping foreign-invested companies and foreign nationals make sense of Korean law - and explaining it in your language.

Most legal hurdles in Korea are not purely legal. They arise in the gap between what a global HQ expects and what Korean law, culture, and regulators actually allow.  The Seoul Counsel is built precisely to bridge that gap. The value here lies not only in knowing the mechanics of Korean law, but in making it legible, manageable, and defensible to a global headquarters — so that Korea operations keep moving forward.

That bridge matters to individuals just as much. A foreign national in Korea facing a monetary dispute, criminal proceeding or a workplace problems or a question no one will explain in plain English can bring it directly to the Seoul Counsel.

Who SJ Works With

Foreign-invested companies in Korea — HR leaders, in-house counsel, and executives who need Korean employment and compliance issues handled in a way their global headquarters can follow and sign off on.

Foreign nationals living in Korea — residents and professionals who want a Korean lawyer they can speak to directly, in English, about employment, contracts, and the everyday legal questions that are hard to settle across a language barrier.

In both cases the working language is English, the analysis is Korean law, and the goal is the same: clarity you can act on.

A Career Defined by Range & Depth


SJ Chun is a Korean-bar attorney with a rare dual vantage point: in-house counsel for a global OTT company, and adviser to multinational clients at elite Korean law firms. For foreign companies and nationals in Korea, that combination is the experience that matters most.

SJ began his legal career at the Ministry of Justice, managing government litigation and the MOJ's crime victim support system as a public-service advocate. He then joined PPLO, a maritime boutique in Busan, handling multi-jurisdictional shipbuilding disputes totaling USD 715 million across the US, UK, and China. At Jipyong LLC, one of Korea's premier law firms, he expanded into complex commercial advisory for major shipping lines and airlines — including Asiana Airlines, American Airlines, Qatar Airways, SK Shipping, and Dongbang Logistics.

The defining pivot came as Principal Counsel at a leading global OTT company. Working daily at the intersection of Silicon Valley culture and Korean legal reality, he spent his time defining what was possible and, more importantly, finding the compliant path forward.

Representative Experience: Handling every matter with utmost care and precision

These matters are large in scale, but the value to a client is the same at any size: judgment tested under real pressure, applied to your situation. SJ does not deliver textbook opinions from the outside; he works as strategic counsel who understands internal corporate pressures, reporting lines, and global matrix stakes from the inside.

Landmark Tax Litigation — Led a corporate tax dispute resulting in near-complete victory, overturning an assessment exceeding KRW 78 billion.

Network Fee Litigation — Pivotal role in a network usage fee case with significant implications for the global technology and streaming industry in Korea.

IP & Content Litigation — Managed crucial injunction proceedings protecting business-crucial globally hit series, ensuring uninterrupted global distribution.

Employment Law & Compliance: Worked directly with global HR to make Korea’s rigid labor laws operable within a fast-paced, Silicon Valley-style culture without sacrificing compliance.

Cross-Border Transactions: Advised POSCO, SK Geo Centric, and others on international supply contracts, NDAs, and various commercial contracts.

Academic Credentials & Publications

SJ holds LLB, JD from Yonsei University, Seoul and has completed doctoral coursework toward a Ph.D. in Law at Yonsei where he was awarded the BK21 Plus Scholarship and a Certificate of Merit for his dissertation and journal contributions.

Beyond this, SJ dedicated himself to deep research and legal exploration, having authored numerous prestigious law articles:

A Personal Note

Long before I practiced law, I learned what it feels like to live inside a language and culture that isn't your own. I spent four years of my school years in Taipei — old enough to remember exactly how disorienting it could be to live away from your country.


That experience shapes how I work. When a client explains a problem to me in English, I'm not translating it into Korean law from a distance — I've been the foreigner trying to be understood. English isn't a service I bolt on; it's how I think and work, the same way I discussed with global headquarters and authored articles for international publishers.

Disclaimer / 면책공고

[ENG] The contents of this site are provided for general informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice or a professional legal opinion on any specific matter. No attorney-client relationship is formed by accessing or using this site. The owner of this site assumes no liability for any actions taken based on the information provided herein. For specific legal issues, please consult with a qualified legal professional for individualized counsel.

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