Korean law firm Bae, Kim & Lee (BKL) has hired Seong Soo Kim, a former presiding judge of the Seoul Central District Court, as a partner in its litigation practice.

Kim began his judgeship in 1998 and has served as a judge of the Seoul Administrative Court, several district and high courts across the country, and the Judicial Policy Office under the Office of Court Administration.

Kim was a member of the Refugee Recognition Committee from 2009 to 2014 and was also director of the International Association of Refugee Law Judges.

BKL was the first Korean law firm to establish an internal pro bono committee and received numerous awards for corporate social responsibility and human rights, including the Best CSR Practices Award at the 1st Korea Bar Association Awards, the Human Rights Award of Korea by the National Human Rights Commission in 2014, and was named among ALB’s CSR List 2016.