Korea–U.S. Cross-Border Counsel
Legal counsel for businesses operating between Korea and the United States.
YG Legal Inc. is a cross-border law firm advising companies and healthcare organizations conducting business across Korea and the United States.
The firm advises on entity formation, investment, commercial agreements, healthcare and FDA regulatory matters, intellectual property, international tax, compliance and disputes.
Rather than treating Korean and U.S. law as separate workstreams, the firm considers how a client's business and transactions operate across both jurisdictions. Its focus practices are K-Beauty & Aesthetic Medicine and Bio & Medical Devices.
Hyeseon Shin — qualifications and experience
01
Republic of Korea · New York · California
Bar admissions
02
Yonsei J.D. · Georgetown LL.M.
Legal and tax law education
03
Dentons US LLP
U.S. law firm experience
04
Deloitte Washington National Tax
U.S. tax practice experience
Focus practices where regulation shapes the business structure.
Regulatory requirements can directly affect how a business is owned, operated, marketed and expanded across Korea and the United States.
YG Legal Inc. focuses on K-Beauty & Aesthetic Medicine and Bio & Medical Devices, where regulatory, contractual and commercial decisions are closely connected.
K-Beauty & Aesthetic Medicine
Clinics · Med-spas · Cosmetics brands · Aesthetic-medicine networks
U.S. clinic and MSO structures, expansion across multiple locations, cosmetics regulation, brand protection, local contracts and the Korea–U.S. tax structure, reviewed together.
From who may own and operate a medical practice, to how the Korean parent can supply its brand and operating know-how — worked out against how the business will actually run.
Bio & Medical Devices
Medical devices · Biologics · Aesthetic-medicine products · Regulated manufacturers
Company structure, control of the regulatory file, U.S. distribution and licensing agreements, product liability, and the obligations that continue after the product is on the market.
The firm works alongside the client's regulatory and technical team, and sets out the U.S. business structure from the legal and contractual side.
Cross-border advice requires an understanding of how the business operates on both sides.
A business structure that works in Korea may not comply with U.S. state medical laws or tax rules.
YG Legal Inc. considers how legal, regulatory and commercial decisions interact across Korea and the United States.
01
Korean records and business context, reviewed directly
Korean-language contracts and corporate records are reviewed as they are, alongside the company's governance, decision-making and commercial objectives.
02
U.S. law and regulation, reviewed by the same counsel
Korean-language records and business context can be reviewed directly, allowing the U.S. legal analysis to begin without an additional layer of translation or handoff.
03
Entity, contract, regulation and tax, considered together
Entity form, investment and contracts, brand rights, regulatory responsibility and the movement of funds between the two countries are reviewed against each other early, before they conflict.
Hyeseon Shin · 신혜선
Republic of Korea · New York · California
Hyeseon Shin is admitted to practice in the Republic of Korea and in the U.S. states of New York and California, and has practiced law in both countries.
Her practice covers Korea–U.S. corporate and commercial matters, including market entry, investment and local operations in both directions, with particular experience in K-Beauty and aesthetic medicine, healthcare and life sciences, bio and medical devices, and international tax.
She reviews U.S. law with the client's business structure and decision-making in view, and treats it as part of the work to explain complex U.S. requirements in terms that management and staff can act on.
Bar admissions
- Republic of Korea
- New York
- California
Education
- Yonsei University, B.A. in Law
- Yonsei University Law School, J.D.
- Georgetown University Law Center, LL.M. in Taxation
- Georgetown University Law Center, LL.M.
Prior experience
- Dentons US LLP
- Deloitte Tax LLP, Washington National Tax
- Law firm in Seoul
Working languages
- 한국어
- English
Cross-border matters across Korea and the United States
A selection of the firm's current engagements and of matters Ms. Shin worked on in prior practice.
Client confidential information and non-public details of the work are not described.
Jetema Co., Ltd. — U.S. entity
Korean manufacturer of hyaluronic acid fillers and botulinum toxin products
Reviewing corporate, commercial and regulatory matters on an ongoing basis as the company builds out its U.S. operations.
Aesthetic Medicine · Regulatory · Corporate & Commercial
HighCareNet — U.S. subsidiary
Korean healthcare technology company; claims and administration platform for care providers
Advising on healthcare data and privacy, reimbursement-claim compliance, software licensing and related regulatory questions.
Health IT · Claims · Data Privacy
Korean corporate group — U.S. establishment
Entity form, state of formation and the resulting tax position
Reviewing choice of entity, capitalisation and intercompany agreements as one decision rather than three separate ones.
Corporate & Commercial · Tax
Legal areas involved in Korea–U.S. business and transactions
In a business spanning Korea and the United States, entity formation, investment, contracts, regulation, tax and intellectual property are connected to one another.
Rather than treating each issue in isolation, the firm works from how the business and its transactions actually operate across both countries.
01
Corporate & contracts
U.S. entity formation and governance, agreements between the Korean parent and the U.S. entity, investment, and distribution, supply, licensing and joint venture structures.
02
Healthcare & FDA regulation
Clinic and MSO structures, professional licensing and scope of practice, and U.S. regulation of cosmetics, medical devices and biologics.
03
International tax
Investment, product payments, management fees and royalties between the Korean parent and the U.S. entity: withholding, treaty positions, and U.S. federal and state tax.
04
Trademarks, disputes & compliance
U.S. trademark filings and brand licensing, responses to regulators, contractual disputes, and the internal compliance a U.S. operation requires.
From inquiry to engagement
01
Inquiry and conflicts check
Send the company name, the parties involved and a short outline of the matter. The firm first checks for conflicts and whether it can take the work on.
There is no need to send trade secrets or sensitive material at this stage.
02
Scope and fees
An initial consultation establishes the problem to be solved and the work it requires. Scope, expected timing and the fee basis are then confirmed in writing.
03
Advice and reporting
Contract review, written opinions and meetings, in whatever form suits the matter.
Where it helps, advice is prepared with both audiences in mind: what the U.S. team will work from, and what Korean management needs for its own decisions.
Questions clients ask first
Can the firm advise us while we are based in Korea?+
Yes. Most Korea–U.S. work is handled by video call and email, in Korean or English. Meetings are scheduled to Korean hours where that is needed.
When is the right time to raise a cross-border matter?+
Where possible, before the structure is fixed — before an entity is formed, an investment is made, or the first agreements are signed. In the United States, the state involved and the form of entity chosen can change the regulation, the contracts and the tax that follow.
Can we instruct you for the U.S. entity formation alone?+
Yes. The more important question, though, is which entity form and state of formation suit the business you intend to run. The firm reviews the plan and the likely investment and operating path first, then defines the scope of work.
Can you work with our regulatory consultants and accountants?+
Yes. Where separate specialists are needed — FDA submissions, tax filings — the firm divides the work with the client's regulatory and technical team, its accountants and outside consultants.
How are fees determined?+
Hourly or fixed-fee, depending on how far the scope can be defined in advance. The fee basis and the scope of work are set out in writing before the work begins.
Korea · New York · California
Legal issues often arise before a cross-border business decision is made.
Please provide a brief description of the transaction, business structure or regulatory matter you are considering.
The firm will assess which legal issues should be addressed first across Korea and the United States.
Please do not send trade secrets, personal data or other sensitive material before the firm has confirmed that it is able to review your matter.
Inquiries
Please include your company or organization name and the parties involved, so the firm can carry out a conflicts check.
Please do not send trade secrets, personal data or other sensitive material before the firm has confirmed that it is able to review your matter. Sending an inquiry does not create an attorney–client relationship; that relationship is formed only when the firm confirms the engagement in writing.
- hshin@yglegalinc.com
- Hours
- Mon–Fri · 9:00–18:00 Pacific Time
- Consultations
- Korea-hours calls by arrangement
- Languages
- 한국어 · English