The In-House Counsel Forum (IHCF) celebrated its 25th anniversary at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul on 12 November with 240 in-house counsel, law firm lawyers and other attendees.
Founded in 1999 by then in-house counsel Daniel W. Lee and Jai Wook Lee, the IHCF is the oldest in-house counsel association in Korea. “An idea that began 25 years ago with just a meeting of two people has now evolved into a vast platform and a large organisation with over 2,400 in-house counsel as members,” said CY Park, the current and 12th president of the IHCF, in the opening speech.
“I hope to share the journey of the past 25 years with all our guests here tonight and hope to contemplate together the next 25 years ahead.”
Lee, the inaugural IHCF president from 1999 to 2001, gave a congratulatory speech.
“By the time I founded the IHCF in 1999, Korea was undergoing a foreign exchange crisis and its GDP per capita was below USD10,000. Also, there were few companies that had in-house counsel. Now, 25 years later, the Korean GDP per capita [has expanded] sixfold and the IHCF has grown from four members to 2,400 members, a 600-fold increase,” said Lee.
“I look forward to in-house counsel playing a significant role in the developments of Korean society and businesses.”
Young Hoon Kim, president of the Korean Bar Association, and Jung-Wook Kim, the president of Seoul Bar Association declared their support for the IHCF in their congratulatory speeches.
Lisa Sam Hui Min, president of the Law Society of Singapore, also congratulated the IHCF via a video. All past and current presidents of the IHCF shared their thoughts on strengthening the bonds of the association before a celebration performance and dinner.
Other guests included Kyung Taek Jung, managing partner of Kim & Chang; Sanggon Kim, managing partner of Lee & Ko; Joonki Yi, managing partner of Bae, Kim & Lee; Jong-Han Oh, managing partner of Shin & Kim; Seok Hoon Kang, managing partner of Yulchon; Young Ho Kang, managing partner of Yoon & Yang; Dong Hoon Lee, managing partner of Barun Law; Jin Seok Lim, managing partner of LIN; Soonil Kwon, senior partner at YK Law Firm; Jeong Ran Lee, managing partner of DR & AJU.
