David
J. S. Ahn

B.A., M.A., J.D.
Counsel

davidahn@peterandkim.com +82 2 538 2900
Bar admission
California, 1996
Nationalities
Korean
Languages
Korean, English
Location
Seoul

PROFESSIONAL
PRACTICE

David J. S. Ahn specializes in international commercial disputes related to complex corporate transactions, including M&A, joint ventures, intellectual property, and corporate investments, in multiple jurisdictions. For more than past 24 years, he has worked at law firms in the US, where he practiced civil litigations, and in Korea, where he represented multi-national companies in corporate transactions and international arbitrations under the rules of ICC, UNCITRAL and LCIA.
David has also worked as an executive officer and in-house counsel at global companies, including LG.Philips joint venture group headquarters in Hong Kong, Applied Materials (Singapore & Korea), and UPS (North Asia).

Areas of
Expertise

  • Arbitration / Litigation
  • International Transactions
  • Commercial Contracts
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Intellectual Property
  • Anti-Trust
  • Joint Ventures / Consortia

Industry
Sector

  • High-tech Products Icon High-tech Products
  • Semiconductor Icon Semiconductor
  • Solar Icon Solar
  • Transportation, Logistics & Shipping Icon Transportation, Logistics & Shipping
  • Counsel in an UNCITRAL arbitration seated in Geneva, arising from intellectual property disputes over license agreements involving global accounting firms based in Switzerland.
  • Counsel in a LCIA arbitration seated in Vancouver, arising from the shareholders’ disputes under share transfer agreements amongst Korean companies.
  • Counsel in an ICC arbitration seated in Geneva, arising from tradename disputes under license agreements with luxury consumer brands in France.
  • Represented the major Korean investment funds in the litigations before the US courts arising from the sale and purchase transactions of 15 luxury hotels in the US net worth USD 5.8 billion.
  • Serior Foreign Attorney, Peter & Kim (2020–present)
  • Senior Foreign Attorney, Barun Law LLC (2019–2020)
  • Head of Legal-North Asia, UPS (Hong Kong) (2018-2019)
  • Head of Legal-Singapore & Korea, Applied Materials (2012-2018)
  • EVP & General Counsel, LG.Philips Displays (Hong Kong) (2005-2012)
  • Foreign Legal Counsel, Bae, Kim & Lee LLC (2000-2005)
  • Foreign Legal Counsel, Kim, Shin & Yu LLC (1998-2000)
  • Leung & Molynaux LLC (San Francisco) (1995-1998)
  • J.D., University of San Francisco School of Law (Staff, Maritime Law Journal) (1995)
  • M.A., University of Texas at Austin (International Sociology Honor Society) (1992)
  • B.A., San Diego State University (Dean’s Honors & Distinction in Major ) (1990)
  • The State Bar of California
  • American Chamber of Commerce Journal publications (Vol 87 No 4)

    Co-author, 2020

  • LOOMING INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL DISPUTES: ARE YOU ARBITRATION READY?