30 october, 2018
The Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) has appointed Kellie (Hyae-Young) Yi to the position of Counsel and Chief Representative of HKIAC’s Korea office.
Kellie, a U.S. national and permanent resident of Korea, joins HKIAC from Allen & Overy’s international arbitration team based out of the Hong Kong office. Prior to Allen & Overy, Kellie was a senior in-house counsel at Hyundai Heavy Industries in Korea where she managed international arbitrations and cross border litigation as well as transactional work. Kellie also previously worked at an international law firm in the U.S. and clerked for Hon. Judge Harold R. DeMoss Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Kellie’s experience in international arbitration spans Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia as well as all major institutional rules and UNCITRAL proceedings. She has specialised in construction and commercial disputes including those arising under EPC contracts, procurement and security agreements, joint ventures and related supply and finance agreements for major international projects.
HKIAC’s Secretary-General, Sarah Grimmer says, “We are excited to bring Kellie onboard. She is an international arbitration specialist with years of valuable in-house counsel experience. We look forward to providing the Korean legal and business communities with a direct link to our services through Kellie’s presence in Seoul.”
Liz Kyo-Hwa Chung, Partner at Kim & Chang says, “With Kellie’s in-house legal background at one of the largest companies in Korea and her practice in Hong Kong, Kellie will be the perfect representative for HKIAC’s Seoul office.”
Jun Hee Kim, White & Case Partner, former General Counsel of Hyundai Heavy Industries, HKIAC Council Member and Chair of HKIAC’s Appointments Committee says, “Kellie’s dispute experience both in-house and as external counsel gives her a well-balanced and unique perspective. She is well regarded in the arbitration community in Korea and will no doubt be an excellent representative of HKIAC in Seoul.”
In 2013, HKIAC established its Korea office which recently relocated to Trade Tower in Gangnam, Seoul. Kellie will primarily be responsible for administering arbitrations under the Centre’s auspices. She will also promote HKIAC’s services to the Korean market and provide users with information on HKIAC’s practices and procedures.
Kellie is a fluent speaker of English and Korean. She holds a J.D. and Masters in Advanced Program on Negotiation and ADR from Northeastern University School of Law and Harvard Law School/MIT Inter-Consortium, respectively.
