Sejong law firm to hold seminar ahead of stewardship code revision

Hybrid event set for Nov. 17 to cover global trends with ICGN

Seminar to address tasks for institutional investors, listed firms ahead of 2027 rollout

Interior of the seminar room at Sejong law firm's Grand Seoul office [Sejong]

Sejong law firm announced Tuesday it will hold a hybrid seminar on the stewardship code revision and response strategies for institutional investors and companies.

The seminar is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Nov. 17 at Grand Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

The revised stewardship code, set to take effect Jan. 1 next year, codifies checks on institutional investors' fiduciary duties and expands both the scope of application and the range of stewardship activities. The changes are expected to raise the bar for fiduciary compliance among institutional investors while also heightening the importance of board operations and shareholder communication at listed companies — making proactive preparation ahead of next year's annual general meeting season increasingly urgent.

In response, Sejong's Corporate Governance Strategy Center plans to work with the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) to examine global trends in stewardship code reform, assess the implications for institutional investors and listed companies, and discuss practical response strategies.

The seminar will open with remarks from ICGN CEO Jen Sisson and Lee Dong-geon, managing partner and head of Sejong's Corporate Governance Strategy Center. The ICGN's global policy team will then present on stewardship code reform trends at home and abroad, covering regulatory changes and their implications in major markets including the United Kingdom and Japan.

Sejong law firm announced Tuesday it will hold a hybrid seminar on the stewardship code revision and response strategies for institutional investors and companies on Nov. 17 at Grand Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Sejong]

In the first session, Hwang Hyeon-yeong, a senior research fellow at the Korea Capital Market Institute and a member of the stewardship code development committee, will present on the impact of the stewardship code revision on institutional investors and companies. The second session will feature Yoon Tae-jun, a specialist at Sejong, outlining response strategies for domestic listed companies and institutional investors.

A panel discussion will follow, moderated by Ahn Hyo-seop, chief specialist and head of the corporate governance research institute at Sejong. Panelists will include Hwang and Yoon, along with attorney Hong Hyeon-pyo, a former official from the national pension fund's stewardship division; Oh Seung-jae, CEO of Sustinvest; and Lee Wang-gyeom, head of the responsible investment strategy center at Mirae Asset Global Investments. The panel will discuss key challenges facing institutional investors and companies.

"The stewardship code revision is expected to bring significant changes to the governance structures and shareholder communication practices of listed companies," Lee Dong-geon said. "We hope the seminar will help institutional investors and companies develop effective response strategies ahead of next year's annual general meeting season."

Sejong's Corporate Governance Strategy Center, led by managing partner Lee and attorney Lee Suk-mi, provides comprehensive legal advisory services across all areas of corporate governance — including director candidate vetting, institutional investor communication consulting, shareholder return and investor relations strategy, and corporate value enhancement planning.

Sejong's corporate advisory and M&A group draws on more than 30 years of experience, fielding a team of roughly 100 professionals that includes senior veterans, next-generation specialists and foreign attorneys with cross-border expertise. The group has been ranked Band 1 for M&A by Chambers & Partners for seven consecutive years from 2020 to 2026. Building on landmark deals such as the merger of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and HD Hyundai Mipo, the group has continued to demonstrate its M&A capabilities this year by leading sale advisory mandates for Hyundai IFC, Kakao Games and SK Eternix.

an@heraldcorp.com