Overview
Jungmyung (Chloe) Lee primarily focuses her practice on digital finance and fintech, blockchain and virtual assets, financial regulation, capital markets, derivatives, as well as credit information, personal information, and artificial intelligence (AI).
Over the past two decades, Ms. Lee has assumed a leading role in a wide range of matters. Within law firms, she has advised on regulatory matters and responses for financial institutions, fintech companies, and multinational corporations; conducted reviews concerning new service offerings and prospective entries into the Korean market; managed license-acquisition processes; structured numerous innovative financial services; provided advisory services relating to STOs, NFTs, blockchain, and virtual assets; and participated in legislative and policy discussions of significance. In addition, in her capacities at domestic and overseas fintech companies, she has directed practical, industry-driven problem solving by addressing electronic financial services, MyData, banking and securities licensing, the launch of new services, the establishment and reinforcement of internal control and compliance frameworks, and support for investment activities and M&A transactions. Furthermore, during her tenure at global financial institutions, she has been responsible for advising on securities, derivatives, and structured products; transaction documentation; conducting reviews of regulatory risks; and coordinating cross-border projects, thereby cultivating an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of financial regulations and market practices both domestically and internationally. These experiences have enabled her to offer strategic yet practical solutions within complex regulatory environments, and her expertise has been recognized accordingly, including her selection as one of Korea's Top 100 Lawyers by the Asia Business Law Journal in 2023.
Ms. Lee received her LL.B. from Seoul National University School of Law, completed the 34th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute of Korea, and subsequently earned her LL.M. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.
Related Practices
Representative Experience
2025-Present
Bae, Kim & Lee LLC
2025
Prometheus Labs Ltd., Deputy General Counsel
2021-2025
Lee & Ko
2020-2021
Viva Republica (Toss), Legal Team Leader
2017-2020
Citibank NA Singapore, Assistant General Counsel
2010-2017
Citigroup Global Markets Korea Securities Ltd., Head of Legal and Corporate Secretary
2005-2010
HMP Law
See More
2026-Present
Director, The Korea Commercial Cases Association
2026-Present
Member, Policy Advisory Committee on Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing, Korea Financial Intelligence Unit
2024-Present
Executive Director of General Affairs, Korean Banking and Financial Law Association
2024
Completed the 16th Digital Finance Law Course of the Financial Law Program, Seoul National University
2024
Provided legal advice on token-securities–related bills sponsored by Representative Min Byung-deok
2024
Provided legal advice to the Financial Services Commission on the formulation of guidelines concerning the classification of NFTs as virtual assets
2023-Present
External Member, Petition Review Committee, Bank of Korea
2023
Director, Financial Lawyers Association, Korean Bar Association
2022-2024
Member, Special Committee on Digital Assets, People Power Party
2022
Completed the 14th Course on Legal Issues in Fintech of the Financial Law Program, Seoul National University
2019
Completed the FinTech Program, Harvard University
Representative Matters
Advised Bithumb on matters relating to its spin-off*
Advised Galaxia Moneytree on the designation of its aircraft-engine trust-beneficiary-certificate trading and distribution service as an Innovative Financial Service
Advised Samsung C&T Corporation on matters relating to its home platform "Homeniq"*
Advised Dunamu on matters relating to NFTs linked to physical artworks and on matters concerning its NFT trading platform*
Advised global fintech companies on licensing requirements and regulatory matters concerning their entry into, or partnership arrangements within, the Korean market*
Advised electronic financial business operators, internet-only banks, financial institutions, online e-commerce operators and other companies on regulations relating to electronic financial transactions, digital finance, new business models, as well as on licensing and registration; and provided related support*
Advised on matters relating to the Financial Supervisory Service's inspections of financial IT systems*
Advised foreign operators on entry into, or partnership arrangements for, domestic electronic financial business and small-amount cross-border remittance business*
Advised on matters relating to Innovative Financial Services (regulatory sandbox) and the Designated Agent framework*
Advised virtual-asset, stablecoin and NFT-related operators on new business models, cross-border structuring and virtual asset service provider (VASP) registration filings; advised and supported foreign operators seeking to enter the Korean market for virtual-asset- and stablecoin-related businesses; provided opinions on securities-law analyses; supported the review of virtual-asset-related legislative proposals; and advised on acquisitions and mergers of virtual asset exchanges, as well as AML-related matters*
Advised on business-structure reviews relating to token securities and fractional investment, and on applications for Innovative Financial Service designation*
Advised on regulatory issues relating to real estate platforms, mobile messengers, residential service platforms, metaverse platforms and other platform operators*
Supported MyData licensing and advised on MyData-related matters*
Advised robo-advisor operators on new service offerings*
Advised on matters relating to online investment-linked financial business*
Advised on matters relating to online e-commerce business*
Advised venture capital firms on the formation of venture investment funds and on investments in startups; and provided related support*
Advised on various matters in connection with the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act, including tender offers, OEM fund issues, registration of overseas funds, licensing issues for offshore financial investment businesses, issues relating to reporting of substantial holding of TRS and shares, etc., issues regarding the issuance of derivative-linked securities, the securities depositary system, and fractional share trading*
Advised on matters in connection with the Specialized Credit Finance Business Act, including non-performing loans, licensing and registration of specialized credit finance businesses, response to FSS inspections of capital companies, and proposals concerning regulatory reforms of the credit card business*
Advised on matters in connection with the Financial Consumer Protection Act, including intermediary and advertising regulations thereunder*
Advised on matters in connection with the Act on Special Cases Concerning Establishment and Operation of Internet-Only Banks relating to the establishment and operation of internet-only banks and on matters relating to the Banking Act*
Advised on matters in connection with the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act and the Foreign Investment Promotion Act, including small-amount cross-border remittance businesses, foreign exchange reporting and foreign investment reporting*
Advised on matters relating to personal (credit) information and financial AI*
Advised financial institutions and electronic financial business operators on their response to periodic and ad hoc inspections by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), FSS inspections relating to short-selling activities of foreign financial institutions, investigations concerning violations of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, reviews conducted by the stock exchange, and prosecutorial investigations*
Reviewed and advised on transaction structures and term sheets of OTC derivatives including TRS, CDS and asset swaps, structured securities including CLNs and repackaged notes, as well as transaction structures relating to the Volcker Rule*
Reviewed and advised on contracts for OTC derivatives, such as Schedules and Confirmations, under the ISDA Master Agreement*
Advised on the issuance of various securities, such as MTNs, FRNs, CLNs, derivative-linked securities and beneficiary certificates, as well as matters relating to repo transactions and securities lending transactions*
Advised foreign financial institutions on market access (i.e., the Korean securities and derivatives markets), cross-border regulatory matters relating to banking and capital markets products, and day-to-day regulatory matters applicable to financial investment firms*
Drafted, supported and advised on various loan and financing transactions, including syndicated loan agreements, bridge loan agreements, term loan facilities, secondary loan trading and loan participation agreements, as well as project finance (PF) documentation*
* Experience prior to joining BKL
Education
2020
University of California, Berkeley School of Law (LL.M.)
2003
Seoul National University (LL.B.)
Selected Activities
Publications
Annotated Commentary on the Act on the Protection of Virtual Asset Users (Co-Author, Law&Biz ONJU, 2024)
The Legal 500 Comparative Guides – South Korea: Blockchain (Co-Author, The Legal 500, 2024)
Fintech Law – Edition 7, South Korea (Co-Author, Lexology In-Depth, 2024)
Legal Issues in Virtual Assets 4: Chapter 3 — Regulation of Unfair Trading (Part II) (Articles 11, 12 & 17), BFL November Issue (Co-Author, Seoul National University Financial Law Center, 2023)
Financial Technology Law Review (Sixth Edition), Chapter 13: South Korea (Co-Author, The Law Reviews, 2023)
Chambers Global Practice Guides – Blockchain 2022: Law and Practice, South Korea (Co-Author, Chambers and Partners, 2022)
South Korea's Crypto Regulation Is Now Expanding to Foreign Businesses (Cointelegraph, 2021)
International Discussion on Artificial Manipulation of CDS Credit-Risk Events (Legal Times, 2019)
Introduction to the EU's New Asset-Securitization Framework and Its Implications (The Law Times, 2019)
Korea Section, Doing Business (World Bank, 2008–2010)
Activity
Panelist, Academic Conference on the Development of the Digital Asset Market and Future Challenges for Financial Consumer Protection (Korean Academy of Financial Consumers, 2026)
Presenter, Introduction of Spot Virtual Asset ETFs (Payment and Settlement Systems Department, Bank of Korea, 2024)
Chair, A New Paradigm for Global Banking – Blockchain-Driven Transformation Session (Dunamu UDC – Upbit D Conference 2024, 2024)
Presenter, Korean Act on the Protection of Virtual Asset Users and Legal/Compliance Guidelines; Crypto Exchange Law 101 (BloomingBit KBW (Korea Blockchain Week) Side Event, 2024)
Presenter, Introduction of Spot Virtual Asset ETFs, Seminar on the Enforcement of the Act on the Protection of Virtual Asset Users and the Introduction of Spot ETFs (Lee & Ko, 2024)
Panelist, Future of the Aviation STO Market (Airline Economics Growth Frontiers Korea 2024, 2024)
Lecturer, Electronic Financial Transactions Act and Capital Markets Act (Korea Fintech Industry Association – Fintech Campus, 2024)
Panelist, Regulation of Virtual-Asset Market Operators and Infrastructure (Second Session), Seminar on the Legislative Direction of the Virtual Asset Act (Korean Banking Law Association, 2024)
Panelist, Corporate Formation and Accounting for Virtual Asset Operations (Xangle – Adoption 2023 (Exploring Business Value in Web3), 2023)
Panelist, Global Trends in Crypto-Asset Regulation – Korea, 30th Annual Conference (IAKL – International Association of Korean Lawyers, 2023)
Lecturer, Understanding of Financial Investment Regulations (Korea Fintech Industry Association – Fintech Campus, 2023)
Interviewee, "At the Birth of STOs, Korea Needs Experimentation Rather Than Excessive Regulation" (Financial News, 2023)
Panelist, Seminar on Legal Issues Concerning the Issuance and Distribution of Korean STOs in the Era of Token Securities (Digital Finance Law Forum, 2023)
Panelist, Seminar on Banks and Banking Law in the Era of Digital Assets (Korean Banking Law Association, 2023)
Panelist, Regulatory and Legislative Developments in Stablecoins (IBA (International Bar Association) International Financial Law Conference, Tokyo, 2023)
Interviewee, "STO Enters the Regulatory Mainstream: Time to Paint the Big Picture with One-Stop Support" (MoneyToday, 2023)
Presenter, Legislative Preparations and Considerations for the Stable Introduction of STOs, Policy Dialogue among Civil Society, Political Party, and Government on Blockchain-Driven Financial Innovation and STOs (People Power Party – Special Committee on Digital Assets, 2023)
Presenter, Academic Seminar on Regulatory Trends and Legal Issues Relating to the Issuance of Security Tokens (Korea Fintech Society, 2023)
Panelist, Seminar on Global Trends in Digital-Finance Legislation: Implications for the Modernization of Financial Law (Korean Banking Law Association, 2022)
Panelist, Fintech Session (IPBA (Inter-Pacific Bar Association) – East Asia Forum 2022, 2022)
Lecturer, Current Issues and Challenges in Digital-Finance Regulation in the Insurance Sector (Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance, 2022)
Panelist, Seminar on the Present and Future of MyData Technology, Business, and Law (MyData Forum, 2022)
Lecturer, Examination of Financial Metaverse Platforms and Legal Issues (Financial Supervisory Service Training Institute – Financial Academy, 2022)
Lecturer, Banking Business, Digital Finance, and Legal Regulation (IBK Industrial Bank of Korea, 2022)
Lecturer, Insurance Business, Digital Finance, and Legal Regulation (Samsung Life Insurance, 2021)
Organizer and Moderator, Seminar on Domestic and Global Regulatory Issues for Financial Platforms (co-hosted by Lee & Ko and the Digital Finance Law Forum, 2021)
Interviewee, "From Toss's Shield to Fintech Enabler: Attorney Jungmyung (Chloe) Lee of Lee & Ko" (ChosunBiz, 2021)
Panelist, BigTech and the Financial Industry: Competition, Cooperation and Evolution, Policy Symposium of the Korean Economic Association sponsored by the Korea Federation of Banks (Financial Services Commission and Credit Finance Association of Korea (2020))
Presenter, Asia Credit Trading (Citigroup – New York Headquarters, 2019)
Voting Member Representing Citibank N.A., Asia Ex-Japan Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee (2017–2020)
Member/Participant, ISDA Asia-Pacific Legal & Regulatory Working Group; ISDA Credit Steering Committee; ISDA Credit Derivatives Market Practice Group; LMA (Loan Market Association); LSTA (Loan Syndications and Trading Association); ICMA (International Capital Market Association); EMTA (Emerging Markets Trading Association) (2010–2020)
Lecturer, Financial Law (Judicial Research and Training Institute, 2009)
Awards
Legal Times – Leading Lawyer in Securities and Finance (2024)
Legal Times – Rising Star (2024)
Asia Business Law Journal – Korea's Top 100 Lawyers (2023)
Qualifications
2005
Korea
