[2020 Women’s Forum] A Supreme Court Justice Turned YouTuber: "Live a Life of Constant Challenge"

Former Supreme Court Justice Park Il-hwan is giving a lecture at the '2020 Asia Women Leaders Forum' hosted by Asia Economy at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 28th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] "After completing a six-year term as a Supreme Court Justice and retiring, I started YouTube at my daughter's suggestion, and before I knew it, I became a YouTuber with 100,000 subscribers."

Former Supreme Court Justice Park Il-hwan emphasized a life of continuous challenge as the final speaker at the '2020 Asia Women Leaders Forum' held on the 28th at the Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul.

After 34 years as a judge, Park now works as an advisory lawyer at the Barun Law Firm. He is also a popular YouTuber with over 100,000 subscribers. Operating the channel 'Chasan Teacher Legal Knowledge,' he posts videos not only introducing legal common sense but also offering glimpses into a judge's daily life, including the 52-hour workweek system for judges.

He recalled, "On YouTube, when asked 'Why did you become a judge?' I answered that I studied because I had nothing else to do, which drew some malicious comments. But back then, even after graduating from high school, there were no job opportunities, so I had no choice but to enter university and study."

Former Justice Park said, "One day, the school atmosphere was restless, and it turned out that day was the announcement of the bar exam results. At that time, 33 people nationwide passed, but since the successful candidates were 6 to 7 years my senior, I was shocked and felt my future was bleak." He continued, "As time passed, the number of bar exam passers increased to 80, 100, 300, and now 1,500 to 2,000 legal professionals are produced annually. Since times have changed, we must live a life of continuous challenge."

He pours as much passion into his YouTube activities as he did during his judicial career. After becoming a YouTuber in his 'second life,' he finds it still surprising that videos he thought were interesting do not gain much traction, while unexpected videos attract great attention. A few days ago, he received the Silver Play Button awarded to channels with 100,000 subscribers and plans to upload an 'unboxing video' soon. He said, "People find it surprising that a former Supreme Court Justice is a YouTuber, but anyone can become a YouTuber. I encourage all of you, experts and leaders in your fields, to start by sharing ordinary and humble stories."

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