New Mountain Capital, a growth-oriented alternative investment firm headquartered in New York, established a new office in Seoul, South Korea. The new office builds on New Mountain’s presence in Asia, including its Tokyo office.
The Seoul office will be led by Sangmyung Lee, director, who joined New Mountain in February 2026 and focuses on client relationships across Asia Pacific, with a primary emphasis on Korea. Prior to joining New Mountain, Sangmyung spent 13 years at Korea Investment, the sovereign wealth fund of Korea, where he invested across private equity, venture capital and private credit through primary, secondary and co-investment opportunities. He worked closely with leading global GPs and institutional LPs and served as a strategist for Korea Investment’s private equity group. In addition, he served as an external investment committee member for two Korean institutional investors. Lee will work under Andrew Barous, managing director, who leads New Mountain’s client relationship efforts in Asia and is based in Tokyo. Lee further expands the firm’s client services footprint across Asia, joining Yuuki Akasu, director, who is based in Tokyo and focuses on client relationships in Japan.
“We are pleased to open our Seoul office as we build on our long-standing partnerships in Korea,” Adam Weinstein, New Mountain’s president and chief operating officer, said. “We have enjoyed successful partnerships with high-quality local institutions, and we believe our focus on ‘defensive growth’ industries will continue to resonate with investors in Korea and globally.”
Barous said, “We began building institutional relationships in Korea and Asia more than 20 years ago, and today, we work with over 70 partners across the region. With this new Seoul location, we look forward to strengthening our relationships in Korea and, in coordination with our Tokyo office, deepening our presence throughout the Asia Pacific region.”
Lee added, “The opening of our Seoul office marks an important step in expanding our presence in Asia, and I’m honored to lead this effort alongside Andrew. Establishing a local presence allows us to better serve our partners in Korea while continuing to grow our relationships across the Asia Pacific region.”
