Yulchon Hikers: People Who Grew Closer Through the Mountains [After-Work Legal Professionals 1]

[Financial News] Is the competitiveness of a large law firm built solely on expertise and talent? Since professionals from diverse fields work within one organization, connecting them and facilitating communication is also a key organizational challenge.
At Yulchon LLC, which has grown into one of South Korea’s leading large law firms, one aspect of the answer can be seen in its in-house clubs. Lawyers and staff with few opportunities to interact through work, as well as members of different departments, meet through shared hobbies.
Yulchon currently has 15 clubs focused on activities such as attending performances, reading, wine, and one-day classes. Nearly 400 employees belong to these clubs. A club can be formed in any field of interest when at least eight people from three or more divisions or teams come together. The firm covers 50% of the costs based on actual attendance, while leaving the clubs’ operations to the members’ discretion. One of these clubs is Yulchon Hikers, which was launched in August 2022 and now has around 70 members.
Yulchon previously had a hiking club called Injayosan. As interest in outdoor activities such as hiking grew, particularly among younger people, after the COVID-19 pandemic, the existing club was reorganized in a more modern format, giving rise to Yulchon Hikers.
Yang Jae-sun, a foreign attorney at Yulchon LLC who helped launch the club, explained, "I discussed reorganizing the club with like-minded colleagues because I wanted to meet new coworkers through hiking, which I had always enjoyed."
In the mountains, hiking shoes come before business cards. Lawyers, professional advisers, advisers, and staff members from different professional backgrounds walk the same trails. Some people meet in person for the first time on a hike after communicating only by email for years.
Kim Su-young, deputy director of Yulchon LLC’s Litigation Support Office, said, "When you hike together, you naturally mingle regardless of rank or department. Walking up difficult slopes together, looking out for one another, and talking along the way creates a valuable opportunity to grow closer."
Relationships formed in the mountains carry back into the workplace. Kim said that members who had few opportunities to meet for work greet one another more comfortably at the firm after hiking together on weekends. Once people know each other’s faces, it also becomes easier to ask questions or exchange views during work. 
Yulchon Hikers aims to organize at least six regular hikes this year. The club mainly selects trails in the Seoul metropolitan area that can be reached by public transportation, but it sometimes takes on more challenging mountains.
Chiaksan, visited for the club’s New Year’s hike this year, was one such example. Heavy snow covered the thousands of steps leading to Birobong Peak, making them nearly invisible, and the round trip took almost seven hours. Despite the cold, which froze participants’ hair and the water they had brought, everyone encouraged one another and completed the hike.
Yang said that discovering lesser-known walking destinations near Seoul, such as Uiryeonggil in Bukhansan, is another enjoyable part of the club’s activities. Notably, Yulchon does not define club activities merely as a means of "strengthening a sense of belonging to the company."
Yang emphasized, "I don’t think putting values such as organizational culture or fostering a sense of belonging first is in line with the times. It is more important for the club to serve as an enjoyable group where people can exercise together—activities that are difficult to maintain alone for the sake of their well-being and health."
Members’ voluntary hobbies are also leading to social contributions. Yulchon Hikers is participating in volunteer activities assisting autistic people in connection with the Saturday regular hikes organized by Yulchon and the public-interest foundation Onyul. Yulchon’s in-house running club is also broadening the scope of its activities by taking part in marathons with people with visual impairments.
Yulchon Hikers will climb Sobaeksan in Chungcheong Province in November. Yang said, "I want to develop the club into a place where members can interact in good health in nature by discovering courses of varying difficulty that reflect the seasons and members’ preferences." 
People brought together by work meet again through hobbies, and relationships that grow closer in the mountains lead to better communication at work. Yulchon’s in-house clubs are becoming another link connecting different professional groups and generations at a large law firm undergoing rapid change.
[email protected] Reporter Yoo Sun-jun Reporter