(Left: Dato’ Andy Low Hann Yong, Managing Partner of Low&Partners; Right: Dongik Lee, Managing Partner of Sunwoon Law Firm)
[Sunwoon Law Firm]
Malaysia is currently at the center of the Korean Wave, where Korean dramas, variety shows, and products are widely accessible.
Thanks to this Hallyu phenomenon, numerous Korean companies (such as Cuckoo, Woongjin Coway, and LBB Korea) have successfully entered the Malaysian market, and recently, Korean franchise brands (CU, BHC, Emart24, etc.) have also been actively expanding.
Nonetheless, many Korean companies hesitate to enter Malaysia due to unfamiliar cultural and institutional business environments.
- Characteristics of Islamic culture, Malaysia’s ethnic composition (Malays, Chinese, Indians), and Malaysia’s Bumiputera preferential policies
In addition to these cultural and institutional differences, the lack of systematic legal support has often forced companies to prepare for market entry in an ad hoc manner.
On September 1, 2023, Sunwoon Law Firm (Managing Partner Dongik Lee) signed an MOU with the mid-sized Malaysian law firm Low&Partners, marking the first such partnership by a Korean law firm in Malaysia.
Low&Partners operates collaborative offices in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Dubai, providing specialized legal services across Southeast Asia. From 2017 to 2020, it was consecutively awarded “Malaysia Law Firm of the Year” and “Southeast Asia Law Firm of the Year” by the ALB Awards (Asian Legal Business).
- Dongik Lee, Managing Partner of Sunwoon Law Firm, has maintained friendly relations with Malaysian lawyers since his studies in the UK from 2008 to 2010 and has lived in Malaysia over the past three years, gaining deep local expertise.
This MOU is significant as the first direct partnership between a Korean law firm and a Malaysian firm, enabling Sunwoon Law Firm to provide systematic, efficient, and practical legal services to Korean companies seeking to enter Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
Sunwoon Law Firm will continue to focus on the needs of Korean companies and strive to offer more structured, efficient, and reasonable legal services from their perspective.
▼ Related articles for the above post can be found at the following link.
https://www.legaltimes.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=74890
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