AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Forum - Korea 2017 | Asian Venture Capital Journal (AVCJ) | 7 September 2017 | Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, 97 Saemunan-ro, Dangju-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South

South Korea has established itself as a standout market in Asian private equity thanks to a combination of corporate divestments and founder-owner succession situations, which have delivered ample large-cap and mid-market deal flow. These conditions remain, but investor optimism has been buoyed by the recent election of President Moon Jae-in, who has pledged to push ahead with chaebol reforms, establish stronger relationships with trading partners, and take a friendlier approach to North Korea. Progress in any of these areas would be beneficial to private equity - whether it has a direct impact on investment opportunities or contributes to a more stable economic environment by easing political tensions in the region and improving domestic popular opinion of public officials. On another level, Korea's reputation is undiminished: the country continues to be a target for private equity fundraisers globally as local LPs increase their allocations to alternatives, and to offshore managers in particular.

Jeff Diehl
Managing Partner & Head of Investments, ADAMS

Nicholas Bloy
Co-founder & Managing Partner

DC Choi, Michael
Senior Deputy Director,

Dong Hun Jang
Chief Investment Officer,

Kyung-Cheol Jeon
General Manager, Alternative Investment Department,

Hyun-Woo Jin
Deputy Director, Alternative Investment Division,

T. J. Kono
Partner, Unison Capital

Chulmin Lee
Managing Partner

Howard (Hyun) Lee
Managing Director / Head of BDA Seoul Office,

Hae-Joon Lee, Joseph
Partner & Managing Director

Yar-Ping Soo
Partner, Singapore

Eric Woo
Principal

Lucian Wu
Managing Director

Eric Xin
Senior Managing Director, Managing Partner, Private Equity

Myron Zhu
Co-Head of Private Equity Asia Pacific

KPMG

Adams Street Partners

PEP

mergermarket