[Law Firm Power Team] Barun Responds Across Health, Pharmaceuticals, and Cosmetics... The Core Is 'Food'

Team Built Around Food and Health Functional Foods

Dietitians, Patent Attorneys, and Legislative Experts Actively Respond to Related Regulations

Growing Demand for Pre-Launch Checks and Various Advisory Services

"The food industry is highly regulated, and when an incident occurs, criminal, administrative, and civil issues, as well as media attention, follow simultaneously. That is why experts with industry knowledge and legal expertise must work together."

Legal Advisory Lee Yongjun (left to right), Foreign Attorney Hong Seungjin, Attorney Kim Miyeon, Attorney Jung Younghoon, and Attorney Choi Seunghwan of the Barun Law Food and Drug Team are posing. Photo by Dongju Yoon

Attorney Kim Miyeon of Barun Law Firm highlighted these strengths of Barun's Food and Drug Team in a recent interview with The Asia Business Daily. Launched in 2019, the Food and Drug Team at Barun covers a wide range of areas, including food, health functional foods, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and cosmetics. The team provides regulatory advice as well as handles criminal, administrative, and civil litigation, intellectual property (IP), and policy improvement research. Unlike other law firms that approach healthcare mainly from the pharmaceutical and biotech perspective, Barun differentiates itself by building a team with a dedicated focus on food and health functional foods as a core pillar.

Barun's competitiveness lies in the way experts from diverse backgrounds work together as a single team. Attorney Kim, drawing on her experience as a review committee member for food industry association labeling and advertising, and as an administrative appeals committee member, has handled food regulations and labeling and advertising issues. Attorney Choi Seunghwan, with a degree in Food and Nutrition from Seoul National University, a dietitian license, experience as a prosecutor, and a CPA qualification, addresses both criminal risks and transaction/capital market issues for food companies. Attorney Jung Younghoon, a former patent attorney, handles trademark, design, and trade secret disputes in the food and biotech sectors. Legal advisor Lee Yongjun, formerly a senior expert at the National Assembly, and Foreign Attorney Hong Seungjin, formerly a legal officer at the Ministry of Government Legislation, provide consulting on legislative matters, including legal statutes, enforcement decrees, enforcement rules, and official notices, and advise on complex administrative regulations and policy improvements in the food and drug sector. Collaborating with attorneys who also hold medical licenses further broadens the team's expertise.

The nature of inquiries in the food and drug sector is also changing. Whereas in the past the focus was on responding to criminal or administrative actions after an incident, demand has recently increased for pre-launch product consultations, reviews of labeling and advertising, import and customs procedures, regulations on business scope, research contracts, and advisory on policy improvements. Attorney Jung noted, "Trademark and design-related disputes are becoming much more prominent in the food and biotech fields than before." As food companies shift from simple manufacturing to industries that sell brand value and trust, regulatory compliance and IP management are increasingly seen as directly linked to corporate value.

The Food and Drug Team's strength lies in its "hands-on" response when incidents occur. Attorney Choi explained, "Food incidents often attract immediate media coverage and public attention, so it is crucial to visit the site and respond directly. At Barun, attorneys go to the scene themselves, verify the facts, and handle the investigations needed to resolve the issue." Legal advisor Lee emphasized, "Food incidents can simultaneously escalate into criminal and administrative actions, capital market issues, and consumer trust problems, so the speed and accuracy of the initial response is of utmost importance."

Looking ahead, Barun plans to strengthen its tailored advisory and dispute response services across the entire food industry cycle, including K-food exports, functional foods, labeling and advertising regulations, and IP and regulatory risk management for food companies. Foreign Attorney Hong stated, "In the food industry, you must have a multidimensional perspective on the entire process—from regulation formation to enforcement and dispute response. The Food and Drug Team at Barun aims to be a practical partner to companies throughout every stage of this process."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.