Former KFDA commissioner joins law firm

Lee Hee-sung

By Lee Kyung-min

Lee Hee-sung, 63, has joined a Seoul-based law firm Yoon & Yang as a senior adviser, the firm said Monday.

Lee served as the 11th Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) commissioner from December 2011 to March 2013. He previously served as deputy commissioner from November 2010.

Lee is the first former head of the administration to work at a law firm and he will offer his advice concerning copyright laws and healthcare in general, said the firm.

Lee was a Seoul Regional FDA director general until October 2009, and a Medical Device Bureau chief in the administration.

His experience heading numerous positions within the administration is greatly valued at the firm, it said.

“We expect his 34 years of expertise in the area to be a valuable asset in protecting the local pharmaceutical companies’ copyright under the healthcare business in general,” an official at the firm said.

Since resigning from the government post in 2013, Lee has taught graduate classes at Sungkyunkwn University.

Lee graduated from Daejeon High School and from Sungkyunkwan University, majoring in pharmacology.

Lee earned his master’s degree of public health administration at Yonsei University in 1989 and his doctorate of biology and pharmacology at Sungkyunkwan University in 2004.

Yoon & Yang is recognized by a number of international legal publications such as Global Competition Review, Chambers & Partners and Legal 500, the firm said.

The firm provides comprehensive legal representation to clients from around the world, with more than 350 attorneys and other professionals in offices in Seoul and Tashkent, Uzbekistan.