Jeff (Jeongkue) Park

About me

As a partner in Hill Dickinson’s London Shipping team, I specialise in commercial litigation and arbitration. This means advising shipowners, charterers, shipbuilders, insurers, banks and P&I Clubs, including clients across Asia, Europe, and beyond, on complex cross-border disputes and transactions, with particular expertise in matters involving Korean interests.

My work spans charterparty and bill of lading claims, newbuild and conversion contracts, slot exchange agreements, reinsurance disputes, ship sale and purchase matters, and EPC contracts. With extensive experience in Asian and global shipping markets, combined with strong industry insight, I support clients through both high-value litigation and sensitive commercial negotiations.

I pride myself on responsiveness, strategic thinking and the ability to deliver practical, commercially focused solutions. This approach has helped me to secure major arbitration wins and resolve complex LNG vessel disputes.

A native Korean speaker, I’m fluent in English and have conversational Japanese. These can be great ice-breakers. In life and at work, I’m inspired by my mother’s wisdom and kindness to treat myself and others with compassion.

My experience

• Director of the Law and Accounting Committee of KOCHAM (Korea Chamber of Commerce), UK, providing guidance and support to KOCHAM members – including Korean banks, investors, manufacturers, energy companies, EPC (sub) contractors, traders/distributors, airlines and (re)insurers – conducting business in the UK.
• Working closely with Korean shipowners and charterers on international matters.
• Acting for and advising major shipowners and charterers.
• Arbitration and advice on issues arising out of time, voyage charterparties and/or sales contracts in accordance with LMAA, LCIA, GAFTA arbitration rules.
• Arbitration in relation to charterers’ and their guarantors’ breach of the guarantee. Assisted the client in successfully obtaining an arbitration award of in London arbitration and making a substantial recovery of the award from the guarantor.
• Advice for a shipping company on recoverability of various losses, costs and expenses incurred due to defects found in two LNG carriers during their maiden voyage under the shipbuilding contracts and the hull and machinery insurance.
• Acting and advising leading shipbuilding and offshore engineering companies.
• Builder’s remedy and sanction issues under new building contracts for series of oil tankers.
• Complicated defects on the LNG vessels under a supply contract and newbuilding contracts for a series of 15 icebreaking LNG carriers with multinational buyers. Assisted the client in amicably resolving the issues and successfully getting the vessels delivered.
• Force majeure events including “delay in delivery of material and equipment” for newbuilding of a super eco tanker under the force majeure clause.
• Boil off gas issues overlapping with the shortcomings of the cargo tanks, insulation failure and cold issues with the cradle structures under a new building contract for an LNG carrier.