Positioning Korea: Strengthening Trust Through Governance in Uncertain Times

SquareWell Partners was pleased to collaborate with Yulchon LLC in hosting the “Governance Seminar: Strengthening Trust through Corporate Governance in the Age of Uncertainty” on 11 November 2025. The event brought together more than a hundred experts from Korea and abroad — including leading investors, legal professionals, and governance specialists — to discuss the evolving landscape of corporate governance and the growing importance of shareholder engagement in South Korea.

During the seminar, speakers highlighted how recent amendments to Korea’s Commercial Act are reshaping expectations for board accountability, fiduciary duties, and communication with shareholders. Ross Teverson (Head of Federated Hermes Fund Asia and Global Emerging Markets) and Ueno Naoko (Vice President, Glass Lewis) emphasized that effective dialogue between companies and investors will be a key driver of competitiveness and trust in this new governance environment.

As Ueno noted, one of the most meaningful outcomes of ongoing governance reform has been that “the voice of investors has begun to be heard.” SquareWell echoes this sentiment — transparent, two-way communication between boards and shareholders remains central to sustainable value creation.

The discussions underscored a shared global view: strengthening governance is not merely about compliance, but about building enduring trust between companies and their stakeholders.

Read the full article on The Bell (Korean) here.