[Interview_Kim Hyun Jong] [Cover Story] "A Leading Figure of the Korean Lawyer Diaspora" – Attorney Hyun Jong Kim, Legal Times, March 2025

The following article features an interview with Hyun Jong Kim, CEO of Bonne Clef, as published in Legal Times.

Legal Times 김진원 기자(jwkim@legaltimes.co.kr) 

Expanding from the Middle East and Africa to Central Asia

Attorney Hyun Jong Kim is known as one of the Korean lawyers with the longest overseas tenure. Having been based in Dubai for 15 years, he has been covering the Middle East and Africa extensively.

Kim began his legal career in 2010 as Head of Legal for LG Electronics’ Middle East and Africa Regional HQ in Dubai. He later served as the founding head of the Dubai office of Bae, Kim & Lee LLC, building a diverse portfolio of legal experience in the region. After holding senior positions at both corporate and major law firm levels in Dubai, he established his own practice in 2017.

Since then, he has become a leading figure in the Korean legal diaspora, actively working not only in the Middle East and Africa, but also expanding into Central Asia, bridging regions through his legal expertise and international presence.

◇Attorney Hyun Jong Kim, based in the Middle East, provides comprehensive legal and strategic advice, including matters related to business development.

In 2017, Attorney Hyun Jong Kim founded MEA Law Firm in Seoul, positioning it as a firm specializing in the Middle East and Africa, while residing in Dubai. Since 2023, he has served as one of the co-representatives of Jieum Law Firm, continuing to cover legal matters in the Middle East and Africa through an overseas assignment based in Dubai.

His greatest strengths lie in his deep understanding of local laws and practices, as well as the strong professional network he has built over 15 years with local lawyers across the region.

Attorney Hyun Jong Kim Achieves Legal Victory for HD Hyundai Construction Equipment in UAE

In October 2023, Attorney Hyun Jong Kim secured a major legal victory on behalf of HD Hyundai Construction Equipment in a dispute over the termination of an exclusive dealership agreement in the UAE. The favorable court ruling allowed the client to deregister the local dealer and launch a new business structure starting in 2024. Kim noted the case's significance, explaining that “It is extremely rare for Middle Eastern courts, particularly in the UAE, to rule in favor of foreign manufacturers in agency termination disputes.”

In another recent matter, Kim represented a Korean tech SME specializing in oxygen generation through nitrogen adsorption. He supported the registration of the company’s products with Saudi Arabia’s largest distribution company, a subsidiary of STC (Saudi Telecom Company). He also provided advisory services for product localization and partnership structuring with local distributors. As a result of these efforts, a European firm offered to establish a joint venture to commercialize the technology in Europe, while another French company committed to a multi-billion-won investment via equity acquisition. Kim recently traveled to Paris to advise on negotiations and deal structuring.

Leveraging over 15 years of on-the-ground experience in the Middle East and Africa, Kim has expanded his practice to represent not only Korean companies, but also numerous foreign clients.

He is currently advising a Chinese construction company on risk management in a luxury housing development project in Dubai, and providing compliance counsel to a major Yemeni conglomerate on anti-money laundering (AML) and international sanctions—essential components for running global business operations.

“After 15 years of legal practice in the Middle East, I believe a strong advisory platform is now in place,” Kim said. “My goal is to expand this platform across more regions and sectors—like copy and paste.”

Since 2014, Kim has served as an SME Legal Advisor for KOTRA, and since 2015, as a Legal Advisor for the Ministry of Justice in Korea, supporting Korean SMEs in their international ventures.