Bae Kim & Lee Bets on AI and Data Analytics in Antitrust Expansion

The firm has established an expanded Economics and Data Analytics Center, known as CEDA, by adding data scientists and competition law specialists to its existing team of economists, according to a Nov. 5 report by ChosunBiz. The initiative is intended to bring more sophisticated statistical and empirical analysis into legal proceedings involving market concentration, alleged collusion and abuse of dominant positions.

The expansion reflects growing demand for quantitative evidence in competition cases, particularly as digital platforms and AI-driven businesses raise increasingly complicated questions about market power and consumer welfare.

According to ChosunBiz, the center will integrate economic modeling, large-scale data processing and statistical testing into a single analytical framework. Its specialists will work across the full research process, from developing economic theories and collecting evidence to evaluating whether market behavior supports allegations of anticompetitive conduct.

In merger investigations, the team plans to examine pricing patterns, transaction volumes and consumer purchasing decisions to assess potential changes in competition following corporate combinations. For suspected cartel activity, analysts will evaluate transaction records and bidding information to identify possible restrictions on competition.

The expanded operation builds on an economic analysis practice established in 2021, which ChosunBiz described as the first dedicated law-and-economics center among South Korean law firms. That earlier initiative brought economists into competition law matters, including former Sogang University professor Jeon Seong-hoon.

The new center is headed by Shin Dong-jun, who holds a doctorate in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, alongside adviser Jeon, whose professional experience includes economic analysis work at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice, according to the publication.

The team also includes Lim Bu-ru and Bok Hong-seok, who have held senior economic analysis and research positions at South Korea’s competition authorities and related institutions.

Attorneys Jo Jun-yeon, Kim Gyu-sik and Kwon Do-hyeong are among the center’s legal specialists. Recent additions include Kim Chi-yeol, a lawyer and certified public accountant with experience at the Korea Fair Trade Commission, and Lee Jong-heon, whose background includes competition law matters, ChosunBiz reported.

The center will draw on expertise beyond economics and law, including accounting, digital forensics, criminal investigations and technology regulation.

Bae, Kim & Lee also intends to extend its analytical capabilities into corporate litigation, criminal proceedings and digital platform regulation. The firm expects quantitative methods to play a greater role in disputes requiring detailed assessments of economic harm, including the calculation of financial damages and the effects of business conduct on markets.

Shin told ChosunBiz that hiring dedicated data science researchers remains relatively uncommon among law firms, underscoring the increasing importance of rigorous analytical evidence alongside traditional legal arguments.

He said the firm aims to combine its established economic expertise with advanced data science to deliver more practical advice to clients.

Source: ChosunBiz