Jeonnam Haenam Native, Top of Judicial Exam and Training Institute Sparks Attention

Gwangju and Jeonnam's First... Only 3 Graduates Nationwide
"Thanks to Clear Goals and a Strong Desire to Learn"

Jeong Se-young, who ranked first in the judicial examination and also topped the 49th Judicial Research and Training Institute graduation ceremony, hailing from Munnae-myeon, Haenam, Jeonnam

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Jeong Se-young (25), from Munnae-myeon, Haenam, Jeollanam-do, has become a hot topic for achieving the top position in both the bar examination and the Judicial Research and Training Institute, where top talents from across the country compete.

Jeong received the Supreme Court Chief Justice Award, the first prize, at the 49th graduation ceremony held by the Judicial Research and Training Institute (Director Kim Moon-seok) on the 13th. Securing the top position in both the bar exam and the Judicial Research and Training Institute is a very rare achievement, especially given the difficulty of passing the bar exam.

Among legal professionals who have historically achieved the 'double top position,' there are Kwon Oh-gon (65, 19th bar exam), former judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), and Seo Dong-woo (55, 26th bar exam), representative lawyer of the domestic 'Big 3 law firms,' Law Firm Bae, Kim & Lee.

This is the first time that Gwangju and Jeonnam have produced a 'double top position' winner. The only person to have previously topped the bar exam was National Assembly member Park Joo-sun (16th bar exam) from Boseong. However, with the abolition of the bar exam last year, it will be difficult to produce another 'double top position' winner for the time being.

Born in Haenam, Jeong spent most of his school years in Gwangju, where his parents moved. He graduated from Gyerim Elementary School, Chosun University Affiliated Middle School, and Gwangju Science High School before entering KAIST in Daejeon.

After two attempts, he passed the 58th bar exam as the top scorer in 2016, when he was a third-year university student. At the age of 22, he narrowly missed becoming the youngest ever by just one month.

Regarding his study secret, Jeong said that he hardly received private education from a young age but had a strong intellectual curiosity and enjoyed studying itself. To pass the bar exam and become a legal professional, he studied relentlessly day and night to the point of losing two teeth.

Jeong Se-young said, "Being the top scorer is not a position of honor and privilege but one of service and dedication," adding, "I will contribute to realizing social justice and public interest as well as protecting individual human rights with a humble attitude."

He continued, "I am scheduled to enlist as a military legal officer on the 20th," and said, "Although I have not decided whether to become a judge, prosecutor, or lawyer, I will never forget my mission as a legal professional wherever I am."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.