‘Sasibuhwallon’ Boosting Lee Jae-myung Emerges as Unexpected Variable in Presidential Election Landscape (Comprehensive)

Following 2017, Lee's 'Bar Exam Revival Pledge' Becomes an Issue
'Career Ladder'... Linked with Youth 'Fairness' Issue
Ministry of Justice: "Current System Requires National Consensus
Decision Should Be Made by National Assembly... Need for Opinion Gathering"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, officially reiterated on the 31st the partial revival of the judicial examination system, sparking a full-scale debate over the 'revival of the Sasi' (judicial exam).

This claim has become a major point of contention not only among young people aspiring to become legal professionals but also across the legal community as a whole. As a new policy front forms around the revival of the Sasi, it is expected to become an unexpected variable in the presidential election landscape.

On the same day, Lee announced a 'Youth Fairness Policy' on social media (SNS), promising to firmly guarantee the ladder of social mobility through three major fairness policies for youth: the revival of the Sasi, expansion of regular admissions, and fair recruitment. He listed the 'partial revival of the Sasi' as the first priority, stating that it aims to open a path to becoming a legal professional without academic restrictions, as an exception alongside law schools.

Drawing from his own experience of entering law school after passing the qualification exam and becoming a legal professional through the judicial exam, Lee positioned the revival of the Sasi as one of the policies for the 'ladder of social mobility.' However, there are concerns that the revival of the Sasi could partially undermine the purpose of the law school system, which was introduced during the administration of the late President Roh Moo-hyun, and thus, some difficulties are expected in the ruling party's policy promotion process.

Meanwhile, Yoon Seok-youl, the candidate of the People Power Party who is forming a 'two-strong' rivalry with Lee, holds a negative stance on the revival of the Sasi. In an interview with Yonhap News in November last year, Yoon emphasized, "It is important to increase scholarships for children from economically disadvantaged families so that anyone, regardless of their social class, can enter law school and study."

He also mentioned the U.S. example, where sufficient scholarships are provided to low-income groups, and after taking out student loans, individuals repay them by securing high-paying jobs in finance or other sectors, or the government repays the loans if they enter low-paying public service positions.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice previously stated in response to the revival of the Sasi in a position paper submitted by People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Young-se, "The current system was decided by the National Assembly based on national consensus," and added, "It is necessary to gather diverse opinions from various sectors."

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