The Korea In-house Counsel Association (KICA) and South Korean Ministry of Justice partnered a workshop conference, titled Success for Korean Business Growth in Hong Kong and Beyond, on 30 July at the Island Shangri-la in Hong Kong.
The gathering was organised in conjunction with Hong Kong’s Department of Justice and Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), and attracted more than 150 members of South Korea’s business community and Hong Kong legal practitioners.
The workshop provided insights on how Hong Kong’s legal and dispute resolution services can facilitate the establishment and development of South Korean businesses in Hong Kong and beyond.
At the event’s networking reception, Hong Kong Secretary for Justice Paul Lam, SC, underscored Hong Kong’s role as a bridge for trade between South Korea and mainland China.
“There is no doubt that Hong Kong is not only, by itself, an important partner of Korea in different areas, but also acts as a ‘super-connector’ and a ‘super value-adder’ between South Korea and the mainland,” he said.
In particular, he noted Hong Kong’s key link to the potential of the Greater Bay Area, which encompasses nine cities in Guangdong plus Hong Kong and Macau, with a population of more than 86 million and an estimated GDP of USD1.7 trillion.
He said the event symbolised the beginning of a new chapter of long and strong co-operation between South Korea and Hong Kong.
Also addressing the conference were: Shin Donghwan, director of the international legal advisory division of the Korean Ministry of Justice; Herman Tse, head of business and professional services at InvestHK; and panellists Careen Wong, vice president and chairperson of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) lawyer sub-committee at the Law Society of Hong Kong; Charles Shin, chair of the Korean Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong; Jaehwan Lee, general counsel at MUSINSA and president of the Korea In-House Council Association (KICA); and Joanne Lau, secretary-general of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre.
Hong Kong is home to 146 large South Korean companies including 21 financial institutions, with an expatriate population of about 16,000.
