Firm wins ESG Deal of the Year for Taepyeong salt flat solar project advisory
Kim Kwang-yeol named Projects Lawyer of the Year
Lee & Ko has taken home the most awards of any Korean law firm at the Asia Legal Awards 2026, winning two categories at the global legal industry ceremony.
The firm announced Tuesday that it received the ESG Deal of the Year award and that Kim Kwang-yeol, a partner in its projects and energy team, was named Projects Lawyer of the Year.
The Asia Legal Awards 2026 is an annual ceremony organized by Law.com International, part of global legal and business media group ALM Media. It recognizes law firms, lawyers, legal deals and in-house legal teams that have delivered outstanding results across Asia.
The ESG Deal of the Year award recognized the firm's advisory work on the Taepyeong salt flat solar power project. The project developed large-scale solar generation on salt-damaged farmland and disused salt flat sites across the country, with Lee & Ko's projects and energy team and environmental team providing integrated, one-stop advisory services throughout.
Lee & Ko's ESG group operates across specialized practices covering environmental law, industrial safety, renewable energy, compliance, corporate advisory and labor. Recently, the group has stepped up its support for corporate ESG readiness — advising the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy on the design of Korea's green chemistry regime and consulting on the development of a methodology for greenhouse gas reduction projects using methane-reducing microbial technology.
Kim, who graduated from the 30th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, has built more than 20 years of experience in power generation, renewable energy, project financing, construction, and domestic and overseas corporate and fund investment. He currently leads Lee & Ko's projects and energy team.
Meanwhile, Lee & Ko continues to rank among the top firms in major global legal directories. The firm has received the top rating from the UK's Legal 500 for 17 consecutive years from 2009 to 2025, and has been named the top M&A firm in the Asia-Pacific region by Chambers Global for 13 consecutive years from 2013 to 2025.
an@heraldcorp.com
