[Exclusive] Revival of Bar Exam Promoted by Lee Jae-myung.. Ministry of Justice: "Current System Decided by Public Consensus.. Opinion Gathering Needed to Change"

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Ministry of Justice: "Current System Requires Public Consensus
and Decision by National Assembly... Need for Opinion Gathering"

[Asia Economy Reporters Park Jun-yi and Koo Chae-eun] The Ministry of Justice has responded to Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, who proposed the "revival of the judicial examination," stating that "the current system is a matter decided by the National Assembly based on national consensus" and that "it is necessary to gather diverse opinions from various sectors."

Lee's concern is that the law school system (introduced five years ago) has deteriorated into a modern-day "Eumseo system" (a hereditary privilege system), but since the purpose of introducing law schools is clear, more social discussion is needed to reverse it.

On the 16th, the Ministry of Justice, in materials submitted to Rep. Kwon Young-se's office of the People Power Party titled "Ministry of Justice's Position on Lee Jae-myung's Judicial Exam Revival (Maintaining Law Schools, Partial Revival of Judicial Exam)," stated that "the operation of the lawyer qualification examination system is a legislative policy decision." It added, "The issue of 'judicial exam revival (maintaining law schools, reviving judicial exams)' is judged to require gathering diverse opinions from academia, the Korean Bar Association, courts, the Ministry of Education, and public opinion from various sectors." Although the Ministry of Justice's stance is cautious, it can be interpreted as a call for careful deliberation, emphasizing that reviving the judicial exam system, which was completely abolished in 2017, within five years requires considerable social consensus and public opinion gathering.

Lee had advocated for the retention of the judicial exam during the 2017 presidential primary and reiterated the call for its revival on the 5th, stating, "Everyone should be given the opportunity to become a lawyer." In response, the Democratic Party is also reviewing follow-up pledges and legislation.

However, voices opposing this exist not only among legal experts but also within the Democratic Party. The abolition of the judicial exam was a core agenda of the Roh Moo-hyun administration, and concerns are raised about undermining legal stability. A Democratic Party lawmaker from the Legislation and Judiciary Committee said in a phone interview, "Rather than reviving the judicial exam, it is more realistic to activate night and online law schools and broaden qualification criteria to improve the current system, which has become like an 'Eumseo system'."

Regarding the revival of the judicial exam, Rep. Hong Joon-pyo of the People Power Party also advocated for it and gained support from the youth. Lee's call for the revival is partly a strategic move in the election.

Professor Kwon Jae-yeol of Kyung Hee University Law School said, "The simple argument of creating a growth ladder or opportunities is no longer as persuasive as before," adding, "If the judicial exam is revived, more people will focus solely on exam preparation while being enrolled in school, which could lead to the deterioration of university education. It is a populist gesture aimed at gaining votes from the MZ generation." Professor Son In-hyuk of Yonsei University Law School suggested, "If the system changes depending on circumstances, people cannot predict it stably. The intention of the judicial exam revival is probably that people with insufficient economic power should also become legal professionals, but there are ways to supplement the law school system through the introduction of special admission systems."

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