Jeon, Jinwon
Practice Areas
Introduction
Mr. Jinwon Jeon is a partner at Yulchon LLC, specializing in land use planning law with extensive experience. He has been involved in various dispute cases, negotiations, deals, and legal advisories related to land use regulation compliance. His portfolio includes significant projects such as massive urban development, harbor redevelopment, infrastructure development, industrial complexes, logistics complexes, apartment complexes, mixed-use buildings, mines, and golf courses. One of his notable achievements is a (approx.) half-billion dollar deal between Korean Air, Seoul Metropolitan Government, and Korea Land & Housing Corporation on the Songhyun-dong parcel near Gyeongbokgung Palace, which earned him the title of "2021 Lawyer of the Year" by Korean Air, making him the youngest ever recipient at the time. Mr. Jeon's expertise lies in his deep understanding of how land policies and laws intersect, stemming from his background working with various public entities. He previously served as a public-service advocate in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (2017-2018) and currently acts as a legal adviser for the Korea Land & Housing Corporation. Additionally, Mr. Jeon is the author of a Korean planning law textbook (National Land Planning And Utilization Act, in Korean, ISBN: 9791130338699) and a co-author of Commentary on the Harbor Redevelopment Act (in Korean, ISBN: 9788959428960). His publications written in English also introduce key issues and principles of Korean land use planning law, while proposing methodologies and frameworks for comparing planning law regimes across different countries. He is not only an experienced practitioner but also an active researcher internationally as well as in Korea. In 2022, The Law Times, Korea's most authoritative legal newspaper, introduced him as a "Rising Associate Lawyer" which was a profile of just one associate per firm.
- 2024 University of Illinois at Springfield, College of Public Affairs and Education, Master of Arts in Legal Studies (Distance Learning)
- 2023 Max Planck Law Institute (Hamburg), Decolonial Comparative Law Summer School (held July 4th-8th)
- 2023 Boston University, Metropolitan College, Master of Urban Affairs
- 2017 Seoul National University, College of Law, Ph.D. Candidate in Law (Course Completion in 2017; Administrative Law Major)
- 2015 Seoul National University, School of Law, J.D.
- 2024-present Partner, Yulchon LLC
- 2018-2024 Associate, Yulchon LLC
- 2025-present Member of the Livelihood Measures Consultative Committee, Incheon Port (Piers 1 & 8) Redevelopment Project
- 2025-present Member of the Urban Management Research Committee of Korea Planning Association
- 2025-present Member of the Expert Review Panel, Central Land Tribunal
- 2025-present Research Director, Korean Public Land Law Association
- 2024 Member of Government Negotiation Team, Incheon Port (Piers 1 & 8) Redevelopment Project
- 2024-2026 Member of the Special Committee for Improvement of Decrepit Planned Cities under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
- 2024-present Member of the Evaluation Committee for Housing and Urban Fund under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
- 2024-present Director of Korea Public Land Law Association
- 2015 Admitted to Bar , Republic of Korea
Korean, English
Awards/Recognition
- 2025 Commendation from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
- 2025 Rising Star, Legal Times
- 2024 Commendation from the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries
- 2024 Emerald Literati Awards(Outstanding Paper), Emerald Publishing
- 2022 Rising Associate Lawyer, Law Times
Speech/Presentation
- 2025 Planning Discretion and Property Rights, Seminar of the National Land and Urban Policy Research Committee, Korea Planning Association
- 2025 Land Use Planning: Balancing Heritage Protection and Tourism Challenges, Workshop on Heritage Planning for Sustainable Tourism, APEC
- 2025 Allocation of Urban Planning Authority and the Legal Framework, Seoul Institute
- 2025 Transfer of Development Rights (TDR): Key Issues and Challenges, Expert Roundtable, National Assembly Research Service
- 2025 Legal Tensions Surrounding the Residential Transformation of Officetels, Conference of the Korean Public Land Law Association
News/Publications
Comparative urban planning law: Theories, methodologies, and challenges (in The Routledge Companion to Comparative International Planning, Ela Babalık, Andrea I. Frank, Olivier Sykes eds.)(2026)
Legal Tensions Surrounding the Residential Transformation of Officetels (Public Land Law Review)(2025)
Land Use and Planning Law in Korea (2nd edition, Parkyoungsa)(2025)
Strategies to Expand Senior Housing in a Super-Aged Society, Urban Information Service (issued by Korea Planning Association, co-authored)(2025)
Contextual Analysis of Development, Transition, and Future of Korean Urban Planning Law (Public Land Law Review)(2024)
Planning, Discretion, and Judicial Intervention: Recent Discussions and Institutional Changes in the UK and Role of Court on Planning (Construction and Urban Development Law Review)(2024)
Planning Law and Development Process in South Korea (City University of London Law School Working Paper)(2023)
Comparative Analysis of Exceptions to Planning in the U.S. and South Korea (Construction and Urban Development Law Review)(2023)
Transformation of Land Readjustment in Korea; Legal Analysis on Exchange of Rights and Collective Replotting (Korea Spatial Planning Review)(2023)
Methodology and Framework of Comparative Urban Planning Law (Journal of Property, Planning and Environmental Law)(2023)
Sustainable Development and Infrastructure: Legislative Failures of South Korea’s Infrastructure Rolling System (HUFS Global Law Review)(2023)
