Bar Association President Expresses Concern Over 'Kkamkkami Election'

Many Members Unaware of Term Extension
Election Campaign Period Reduced from 45 to 30 Days

Despite the term of the President of the Korean Bar Association, the head of the private legal community, being extended from 2 years to 3 years starting next year, concerns are emerging that the next presidential election will be conducted in a ‘dark’ manner as before.

In particular, amid many criticisms that the legal profession is facing a crisis due to the court’s ‘trial delays’ and the prosecution’s ‘political neutrality’ controversies, the role of the President of the Bar Association, one of the three pillars of the legal profession, has become even more significant. If the election is held in a dark manner, it is pointed out that the authority and leadership of the Bar Association will be shaken, accelerating the legal crisis.

[Image source=Beomryul Newspaper]

From the next president whose term begins early next year, the term will be extended from 2 years to 3 years, and although a rule amendment shortening the election campaign period from 45 days to 30 days was recently passed, frontline lawyers seem unaware not only of the change in the president’s term but also of the reduced campaign period.

Revised contents related to the Bar Association President are...

In February last year, the Bar Association (President Kim Young-hoon) held a regular general meeting and passed the ‘Partial Amendment to the Korean Bar Association Rules’ extending the president’s term from 2 years to 3 years starting from the next president.

The election campaign period for the president was also shortened from the previous 45 days to 30 days. On the 21st, at the 3rd extraordinary general meeting, the Bar Association passed a partial amendment to the election rules for the president and delegates, which included ‘announcing the election at least 34 days before the election day and shortening the campaign period from 45 days to 30 days.’

There was also a proposal to introduce electronic voting for members who find it difficult to visit polling stations, but the current administration did not accept it.

The voter turnout in past presidential elections has been steadily decreasing. The 52nd presidential election two years ago recorded the lowest turnout in history at 37%. At that time, candidate Kim Young-hoon was elected with 3,909 votes in both early and main voting. This accounted for only 14.3% of the total 27,289 eligible voters and 38.6% of the total valid votes of 10,137.

In the 51st presidential election, the turnout was 60.1% in the main vote and 59.5% in the runoff. The 50th election recorded a turnout of 55%. The 49th election saw 11,191 participants out of 18,528 voters, a 55% turnout, and the 48th election recorded 58%. The 47th presidential election had a turnout of 55.8% (6,873 out of 12,325) in the main vote and 39.7% (4,895 out of 12,325) in the runoff.

Lawyers seem unaware of the extension of the president’s term and the shortening of the campaign period. A partner lawyer at a major law firm said, “I was completely unaware that the president’s term was extended and the campaign period shortened,” adding, “There might have been notification emails from the Bar Association, but most people hardly open them, and many are completely unaware of such important matters.”

An anonymous lawyer said, “I didn’t know the president’s term was extended from 2 to 3 years, nor when the announcement was made,” adding, “If the presidential election is conducted in such a dark manner and turnout remains low, it will be difficult for the elected president to exert authority and leadership.”

Park Su-yeon, Ahn Hyun, Legal Newspaper Reporters

※This article is based on content supplied by Law Times.

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