Exhibit E-1
[Bae, Kim & Lee LLC Letterhead]
October 15, 2021
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To: | | The Republic of Korea |
| | Ministry of Economy and Finance |
| | Sejong Government Complex |
| | 477 Galmae-ro |
| | Sejong-si 30109 |
| | The Republic of Korea |
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Re: | | The Republic of Korea €700,000,000 Zero Coupon Notes due 2026 and US$625,000,000 1.000% Notes due 2030 |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as Korean counsel for The Republic of Korea (the “Republic”), in connection with the Republic’s offering pursuant to a registration statement filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on Schedule B (file number: 333-257908) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) when it became effective (the “Registration Statement”) of €700,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Zero Coupon Green Notes due 2026 (the “Euro-denominated Notes”) and US$500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 1.750% Notes due 2031 (the “U.S. dollar-denominated Notes”, and together with the Euro-denominated Notes, the “Notes”) to be issued under the fiscal agency agreement dated as of April 17, 1998, as amended by the Amendment No.1 thereto (the “Amendment No.1”), dated June 3, 2003, and the Amendment No.2 thereto (the “Amendment No.2”), dated July 17, 2018 (such fiscal agency agreement, as amended by the Amendment No.1 and the Amendment No. 2, being referred to as the “Fiscal Agency Agreement”) between the Republic and The Bank of New York Mellon (formerly The Bank of New York), as fiscal agent. The prospectus dated July 28, 2021 (the “Base Prospectus”), relating to the Notes to be issued by the Republic pursuant to the Registration Statement, as supplemented by the final prospectus supplement, dated October 6, 2021 used in connection with the offering of the Notes, is herein called the “Prospectus”.
We have examined all such laws and regulations of the Republic as are relevant to the Fiscal Agency Agreement and the Notes and the originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of all such official records of the Republic, and orders of officials and agencies of the Korean government, of all such certificates of officials and other representatives of the Republic, and of all such other agreements, documents and matters as we have deemed necessary or advisable for the purposes of this opinion.
In such examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, seals and stamps, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals and the conformity with the originals of all documents submitted to us as copies thereof, and we have found nothing to indicate that such assumptions are not fully justified.
In giving this opinion, we have also assumed in relation to the documents which we examined that other than in relation to the Republic, all such documents are within the capacity and powers of and have been validly authorized, executed and delivered by the parties thereto, and are legal, valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with their respective terms under the laws of the State of New York by which they are expressed to be governed, and that all necessary governmental consents, authorizations and approvals required in any country (other than the Republic) for the execution, delivery and performance by any parties (other than the Republic) to the Fiscal Agency Agreement and the Notes have been or will be obtained and that all necessary notices, filings, registrations and recordings in any applicable jurisdiction (other than the Republic) in respect of the Fiscal Agency Agreement and the Notes have been or will be given or effected in accordance with the laws and regulations of every such applicable jurisdiction. As to any other matters of fact material to the opinions expressed herein, we have relied upon certificates or statements of officials and other representatives of the Republic.
Based upon the foregoing and subject to further qualifications set forth below, we are of the opinion that:
1. | The Fiscal Agency Agreement has been duly authorized and executed by the Republic; |
2. | The statements in the Prospectus concerning matters of Korean law (except for the financial and statistical data contained therein as to which we express no opinion) are accurate and up-to-date as of the date hereof in all material respects; and |