Joo Hee Lee

Managing Partner, Seoul

“I focus on projects, in particular advising Asian lenders and borrowers on their cross-border transactions. I have in-depth knowledge of the Korean market, including undertaking a number of secondments with major Korean banks and corporations. I have an ability to condense complex issues and make them accessible to clients.”

Overview

Professional experience

Education and qualifications

Overview

Registered as a Foreign Legal Consultant (California) in South Korea

Joo Hee advises Korean and Asian corporates, banks and Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) on multi-source project finance and project development, both in Korea and internationally.

At various times, Joo Hee has completed a number of successful secondments. These include secondments to:

  • Royal Bank of Scotland in Hong Kong for four months in 2009, advising on the bank’s divestment programme
  • Korea National Oil Company in 2011, in the company’s legal department
  • The Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM), for seven months in 2015
  • Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (K-sure) for two days a week over a period of six months in 2016, in the company’s project finance department.
Work highlights

Joo Hee has advised on many major projects and project financings. These include advising:

  • K-SURE and NEXI on the c.US$3bn 589 MW Changfang and Xidao offshore wind farm in Taiwan (Project Finance Deal of the Year, FinanceAsia Achievement Awards 2020)
  • NH Investment & Securities Co., Ltd. as part of a consortium of buyers on the signing of its investment into Abu Dhabi National Oil Company's (ADNOC) natural gas pipelines in the UAE
  • the ECAs and common lenders including K-SURE on the US$2bn (NT$62.4 bn) project financing of the 376 MW Formosa 2 offshore wind project in Taiwan (Renewables ECA-backed Finance Deal of the Year, TXF Perfect 10 Deals of the Year 2019)
  • KEXIM, K-SURE and other ECAs on the project financing of the US$4bn SOCAR petrochemicals plant in Azerbaijan
  • the lenders and ECAs as common lenders’ counsel on the US$19bn Yamal LNG project financing
  • KEXIM, K-sure and a group of international commercial banks on the US$1.7bn financing of an ethylene cracker and ethylene glycol plant in Louisiana, U.S.
  • Samsung C&T and KOSPO on the successful bid, development and project financing (including KEXIM facilities) of the gas-fired Kelar Independent Power Producer (IPP) project in Chile
  • a Korean bidding consortium on the oil/gas-fired combined cycle IPP project in Sri Lanka
  • the lenders (including K-sure) on a K-sure-covered financing of the world’s largest new-build biomass power plant, in Tees Valley, UK

Professional experience

Joo Hee regularly speaks at events, including at the “Public Private Partnerships in South East Asia” seminar, May 2015, co-arranged with KEXIM, and “Business Strategy & Investment in the Iranian Market”, February 2016, co-arranged with KEXIM and the International Contractors Association of Korea.

Education and qualifications

Joo Hee studied law at Yonsei University, Seoul. She was the first ever Korean-qualified lawyer to join an international law firm directly from the Judicial Research & Training Institute in Korea.

Joo Hee is admitted in the UK (England & Wales), US (California) and Republic of Korea.