DK Donghyun Kim

• Assist a Korean steel manufacturer with a joint venture with a Mexican steel manufacturer to produce high grade steel products.
• Assist a major Korean private equity fund with the purchase of a minority share in automotive parts manufacturer in the US.
• Assist a major Korean private equity fund with the purchase of a flooring parts manufacturing entities in the US.
• Assist Korean electronics manufacturer with a strategic investment into a US based self-driving technology/ semiconductor manufacturer.
• Assist Korean automobile manufacturer with a strategic investment into a Canadian AI chip manufacturer.
• Assist LG Chem with two joint ventures with Archer-Daniels-Midland to manufacture PLA Polymer products in the US.
• Assist POSCO with a joint venture with the Ravensthorpe Nickel Operation for the nickel mine in Australia for USD 240 million to boost its electric vehicle battery business in 2021.
• Assist POSCO International with the AUD 860M acquisition of a public Australian gas producer Senex Energy in Australia.
• Assisting a major Korean steel maker with a joint development of lithium solid-state batteries with a Taiwanese battery manufacturer.
• Assisting a major Korean automobile manufacturer with the acquisition of an electric vehicle manufacturer in the UK.
• Assisting a major steelmaker with corporate matters in relation to its investment in an iron ore mine in Canada and Australia.
• Assisting a Korean heavy equipment manufacturer with the sale of 9.5MW and 6MW solar farms in Romania.
• Assisting a Korean electronics manufacturer with the restructuring of their mobile communications business in Europe.

Chambers Global

• Spotlight Table Expert Based Abroad, Energy & Natural Resources, (2025)
• Spotlight Table, Dispute Resolution: International Firms, (2024-2025)
• Up and Coming, Corporate/M&A: International Firms, (2023-2025)
• Associate to Watch, Dispute Resolution: International Firms, (2018-2023)
• Associate to Watch, Corporate/M&A: International Firms (2022)

Chambers Asia Pacific

• Up and Coming, Dispute Resolution: International Firms, (2025)
• Up and Coming, Corporate/M&A: International Firms, (2023-2025)
  A client notes DK "routinely assists with regulatory issues arising out of corporate transactions" and he is also "adept at handling outbound investments."
• Associate to Watch, Dispute Resolution: International Firms, (2018-2024)
• Associate to Watch, Corporate/M&A: International Firms, (2022)

Legal 500 Asia Pacific

• Rising Star, Corporate and M&A: Foreign Firms, (2024)

Additional Awards

• Stand-out Lawyer, Thompson Reuters, (2023)
• Acritas Star, Acritas, (2019-2021)

• Columnist for the Law Times (lawtimes.co.kr) Opinion section (2020):
  
  • “The Oxford Comma Dispute”
  • “The Canadian Apology Act”
  • “COVID-19 and the National Emergency Act”
  • “The US Artemis Accords and moon mining”
  • “COVID-19 and the Privacy Act”
  • “Space X and the National Environmental Policy Act”

Before joining DLA Piper, DK worked as an in-house counsel at POSCO, one of the largest steel makers in the world, focusing on cross-border investment and related disputes. DK was the recipient of “POSCO CEO's Award of Excellence” and “Legal Affairs Dept. EVP's Award of Excellence.” DK served as a judge advocate in the Republic of Korea’s Navy and Marine Corp. Before he joined the military, he worked at the Korean Government Legal Service firm advising government agencies and state owned entities in connection with cross-border transactions, foreign direct investments and general corporate matters.