Lee Jong-yeop, President-elect of the Korean Bar Association, "Excess Supply of Lawyers... Will Make Efforts to Reduce"

Lee Jong-yeop, the newly appointed president of the Korean Bar Association, is expressing his thoughts at the "51st Korean Bar Association President Certificate Award Ceremony" held on the 28th at the Bar Association Hall in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] "The legal profession is suffering from an extreme recession. We will reduce the oversupply of lawyers to an appropriate level."

Lee Jongyeop, the sole candidate for the 51st President of the Korean Bar Association, held a press conference on the 28th at the Bar Association building in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and revealed this vision. He emphasized, "Many practicing lawyers are struggling to maintain their offices," and added, "We will immediately devise measures to reduce the number of lawyers, effectively communicate the industry's reality and voices to the government and the public, and seek their understanding."

The president-elect also expressed concerns about the additional establishment of law schools. He said, "The industry environment has changed drastically since the introduction of law schools," and asked, "I want to know what efforts the political circles have made to expand the paths for many young lawyers to work and be active after flooding the market with lawyers." He continued, "I do not understand the popularity-driven policies that only increase the supply of lawyers, let alone reducing the law school quotas."

The law school system has been producing about 1,500 lawyers annually since its introduction in 2009. Currently, lawyers who graduated from law schools reportedly account for more than 40% of the total number. Nevertheless, the ruling party has been criticized by the president-elect for continuing unrealistic actions, such as proposing a plan to establish a law school at Korea National Open University on the 6th.

In addition, the president-elect stated his intention to actively respond to current issues such as "countermeasures against similar professional groups" and "resolving the problem of preferential treatment for former officials."

Lee was finally elected by receiving 8,536 votes (58.67%) out of a total of 14,550 votes in the runoff election for the Korean Bar Association president on the 27th. He was commissioned as a prosecutor in 1992 and served at the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, Yeongdeok Branch of Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, and Changwon District Prosecutors' Office before opening his law practice in 1995. From 2017, he served as the president of the Incheon Bar Association for two years. He will assume office as the Bar Association president on the 25th of next month, with a term of two years.

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