South Korean Big Six law firm Shin & Kim has established an office in Singapore, its sixth internationally, and fourth in the ASEAN region.

The Singapore office, manned by senior foreign attorney Bryan Shin (pictured), is expected to complement Shin & Kim’s other Southeast Asian outposts in Ho Chi Minh (established in 2017), Hanoi (2018), and Jakarta (2019). The firm also has offices in Beijing and Shanghai.

Shin, who has been with Shin & Kim since 2011, has about 13 years of experience advising on corporate/M&A, capital markets and credit finance. Shin & Kim's partners are expected to fly from the firm’s Seoul headquarters to Singapore to support him.

“The importance of Singapore as a business hub in Southeast Asia has increased in recent years as cross-border trade has become more active following the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Jong-Han Oh, the firm’s managing partner, in a statement.

Shin & Kim’s opening comes days after Portugal’s Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados announced its own plans to launch in Singapore, continuing a steady recent trend of international law firms setting up shop in the city-state.