Ryan IL Kang

Partner

T. +82-2-3404-0689
F. +82-2-3404-7688
E. il.kang@bkl.co.kr

Overview

Ryan IL Kang's practice focuses on competition law, intellectual property rights, mergers and acquisitions, and broadcasting and communications.

Since joining Bae, Kim & Lee LLC in 2006, Mr. Kang has worked as an attorney in the area of fair business practice. He has advised and represented numerous domestic/foreign clients from various industries in market dominance, cartel, M&A, unfair trade, and compliance cases. Recently, he has represented clients in cases related to the exercise of intellectual property rights and the enforcement of competition law towards pharmaceuticals, medical businesses, and platform businesses.

Since 2012, Mr. Kang has delivered lectures on competition law at the Master of Intellectual Property (MIP) of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and at diverse institutes. He regularly writes articles on competition issues for academic journals, etc. He co-authored "The Act on Fair Transactions in Large Retail Business" in 2012, and "The Revised Act on Fair Transactions in Large Retail Business" in 2016.

Related Practices

Representative Experience

2011 CMS EU Law office, Brussels (Secondment)

2006-Present Bae, Kim & Lee LLC

2023-Present Advisor, Korea Association of Game Industry

2021-Present Secretary General, Korea Asia Competition Association

2019-Present Advisor, Subcontracting Law Association, Korea Land & Housing Corporation

2016-Present Secretary of Planning, Korean Competition Law Association

2003-2006 Judge Advocate, Republic of Korea Army

Representative Matters

Represented an interested person in a case related to Company A's abuse of dominant position (abuse of standard essential patent) (The Korean Fair Trade Commission imposed an all-time high administrative fine)

Represented client in a suit for damages related to commercial vehicle collusion

Assisted Electronics Company B with responding to investigation of unfair support

Represented Company C in a suit for claim of payment of products against oil companies for collusion related to oil products supplied to army (Received a partially favorable judgement from lower court and received a favorable judgement (even for the parts found against by the lower court) from appellate court)

Represented Company D in a case related to unfair subcontracting transaction (Received a simple warning)

Abuse of Dominance

Represented five power corporations, the subsidiaries of Company E, in a case related to their abuse of dominant position (Deliberation process ended and those corporations were free from suspicion)

Represented Company F in a case where Company FA reported the abuse of dominant position by Company F in determining the price for the supply of community energy (Free from suspicion)

Represented Company G in a case where Company G was alleged to have unfairly induced customers by providing handset subsidy

Compensation for Damage

Represented client in a suit for damages from collusion for sewage treatment plant

Represented client in a suit for damages related to commercial vehicle collusion

Represented oil companies in a suit for damages from collusion for oil products provided by the oil companies to army

Represented ATM manufacturers in a suit for damages from collusion among ATM manufacturers

Represented cable manufacturers in a case of collusion for cables

Represented client in a suit for damages from collusion for four major rivers

Represented client in a suit for damages from collusion for Incheon Subway

Represented client in a suit for damages from bid collusion for the Gyeongin Canal

Represented client in a suit for damages from unfair business practices of movie theater

Represented client in a suit for damages from collusion for Seoul Subway Line No. 7

Unfair Support

Assisted Electronics Company B with responding to investigation of unfair support

Collusive Behavior

Represented Company H in a case where the unfair collusive behavior of mobile carriers became a problem for the first time (Some issues were free from suspicion at the stage of investigation, and as to issues submitted for deliberation, administrative fine was drastically mitigated)

Represented Company I, the first rank company, in a case of unfair collusion for light crude oil products among oil companies (Administrative fine was drastically mitigated)

Represented Company J, Company JA, Company JB, and other companies in a case of unfair collusion for LDPE and LLDPE products among petrochemical companies (Administrative fine was drastically mitigated)

Represented Bank K, Bank KA, and Bank KB in a Fair Trade Commission case of unfair bank collusion for commissions (Administrative fine was drastically mitigated)

Represented Company L and Company LA in a case of unfair collusion for market allocation and price increase among elevator companies (Most of the administrative fine on Company L was exempted and the administrative fine on Company LA was drastically mitigated)

Handled a case of unfair collusion for airfreight charges between multinational airlines

Handled bid collusion cases related to four major rivers, sewage treatment plant, gas main pipe line, etc.

Represented nine car dealer companies of Company M in a suit for cancellation of a corrective order and an order to pay administrative fine for unfair collusion

Represented Company N in a collusion case related to commercial trucks (Received a favorable judgement)

Subcontracting

Represented Company D in a case related to unfair subcontracting transaction (Received a simple warning)

Represented Company O and responded to the exercise by the Small and Medium Business Administration of the right to request to file a criminal prosecution with the Prosecutor's Office in respect of violation of the subcontracting law (criminal prosecution was relieved)

Business Combination

Obtained approval of business combination in a case where Company P sold its shares in its Vietnamese subsidiary to a Japanese Company PA

Obtained non-approval for a business combination of semiconductor equipment companies, Company Q and Company QA, by putting forth the opinions of Company Q, Company QA, and other member companies of Association QA in the Fair Trade Commission's business combination review

Advised Company R on the approval of business combination with a foreign entity in connection with Company R's acquisition of Company RA, a feed company in Brazil

Obtained approval of the establishment of a joint venture between Company S and Italian Company SA

Obtained approval of business combination in connection with Company T's acquisition of a manufacturing plant in Korea for airbags and safety belts from Company TA

Obtained approval of business combination in connection with Company U's acquisition of Duty-Free Shop UA

Education

2011 University of California, Berkeley School of Law (LL.M.)

2003 Judicial Research and Training Institute, Supreme Court of Korea

2001 Seoul National University (B.A.)

Selected Activities

Publications

Practical Issues on Holding Company’s Ownership in CVC, BFL No. 118, pp. 137-149 (Co-author, Seoul National University Center for Financial Law, 2023)

Act on the Consumer Protection In the Electronic Commerce Transactions, etc. (Co-author, LAWnB Onju, 2022)

Issues of and Improvement Plan for the Regulation of Holding Companies under the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act, Holding Companies and Laws, pp. 99-126 (Co-author, Sowha, 2018)

Practical Issues Related to Regulation of Behaviors of Holding Companies, BFL Vol. 91 (Co-author, Seoul National University Center for Financial Law, 2018)

Merger Control 2018 (Co-author, Thomson Reuters, 2017)

Fair Transactions in Subcontracting Act (Co-author, LAWnB Onju, 2016-2022)

China-Korea IP & Competition Law Annual Report (Co-author, China-Korea Market & Regulation Law Center, 2014)

Enforcement of Competition Law in EU and Korea for Technology Transfer Agreements, Journal of Competition No. 176 (Co-author, Korea Fair Competition Federation, 2014)

Study on Major Competition Authorities' Merger Review Procedures, LEG Working Paper (Co-author, Korea Fair Trade Mediation Agency, 2014)

South Korea, Private Antitrust Litigation Jurisdictional Comparisons (Co-author, Sweet & Maxwell, 2013)

The Theory and Practice of the Act on Fair Transactions in Large Retail Business (Co-author, Parkyoungsa, 2012)

A Report on Participating in the Consumer Product Industry and Competition Law Conference (Law Times, 2012)

Enforcement of Competition Law in Korea and Europe for the Operation of Standardization Organization and the Abuse of Intellectual Property Rights, Journal of Competition No. 161 (Co-author, Korea Fair Competition Federation, 2012)

Recent Developments in Competition Law Enforcement and Intellectual Property Rights in Korea (Co-author, The Competition & Antitrust Review, 2012)

The Method of Calculating Damages from Violation of Competition Law and Related Issues, Competition Law Research, Vol. 25 (Co-author, Korean Competition Law Association, 2012)

Domestic and Overseas Trends of the Enforcement of Antitrust Law for the Exercise of Patent Rights (Co-author, Daily Pharm, 2012)

The Effect and Implication of Most Favored Customer Clause on Competition, Law and Economics Analysis Group's Working Paper (Co-author, Korea Fair Trade Mediation Agency, 2012)

Recent Trend of Pay-for-Delay in Korea, Europe, and US, Journal of Competition No. 159 (Co-author, Korea Fair Competition Federation, 2011)

Assessing the Competitive Impact of Resale Price Maintenance (Co-author, Asia Law, 2007)

Activity

Speaker, Antitrust Law Session, LawAsia Conference (2018-2019)

Lecturer, Subcontracting Law, Korea Fair Competition Federation and Competitional Law, Several Companies (2016)

Lecturer, Legal Clinic, Hanyang University School of Law (2015)

Lecturer, Summer Semester, KAIST Master of Intellectual Property (2012-2020)

Panelist, Annual Global Competition Law Forum: Regional Enforcement Updates – EU, China, India, Korea (Kluwer Law, 2016)

Panelist, International Conference: The Meaning of FRAND Commitments from a Competition Law Perspective (Center for Corporate Competitiveness and Center for Law and Economics at Seoul National University, 2016)

Awards

Chambers Asia-Pacific - Leading Lawyer (2018-2024)

Who's Who Legal - Leading Practitioner (2022-2024)

Thomson Reuters - Stand-out Lawyers (2023)

Expert Guides - Competition and Antitrust: Rising Star (2016-2017)