New Bar Association President Kim Jung-wook, a Law School Graduate

Elected by a Margin of About 400 Votes
Significance of a Lawyer Examination Graduate
Recognized for Leadership Across Multiple Organizations

Kim Jung-wook, a lawyer who passed the 2nd Lawyer Examination (Byeonsi), was elected as the president of the Korean Bar Association (KBA), the largest lawyer organization in Korea. This marks the first time a law school graduate has become the head of the KBA. Although the KBA has recently been said to have somewhat diminished in status, it remains the only statutory organization in the legal profession, known as one of the ‘three wheels of the legal profession’ along with the courts and prosecution. The KBA holds authority over lawyer registration approval and cancellation, law firm establishment approval, and lawyer disciplinary and supervisory powers. The KBA president also exercises the right to recommend candidates for key legal positions such as Supreme Court justices, Prosecutor General, Chief of the High-ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Office, and special prosecutors.

Kim Jung-wook, newly elected president of the Korean Bar Association (KBA). Kim Jung-wook candidate camp

Kim, a law school graduate, becoming the KBA president is seen in the legal community as a symbolic event showing that those who passed the Lawyer Examination, rather than the Judicial Examination, have become the mainstream in the legal profession. Kim defeated his competitor, lawyer Ahn Byung-hee (63, 7th Military Legal Officer), by about 400 votes.

According to the legal community on the 21st, the KBA announced that after conducting voting for members from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. the previous day, candidate number 1, Kim, was elected. The term of the KBA president is three years, and Kim’s term will begin in February this year.

The law school system was introduced 16 years ago. In the early days of its introduction, there was a perception in the legal community that law school graduates were less competent than those who passed the Judicial Examination. Due to the expensive law school tuition, it was difficult for poor students to challenge, and since many children of legal professionals or high-ranking public officials entered, it was sometimes called a ‘modern hereditary system.’ For these reasons, until a few years ago, there was ongoing discussion, mainly in political circles, about abolishing law schools. However, over time, law school graduates have expanded their roles and demonstrated their abilities not only in courts, prosecution, and law firms but also as in-house counsel in corporations, and such ‘noise’ has almost disappeared. Among the approximately 30,000 registered lawyers, about 60% are law school graduates. Each year, about 1,500 to 1,700 law school graduates pass the Lawyer Examination and enter the legal profession.

Kim, the new president, is regarded in the legal community as having proven his capabilities by leading several lawyer organizations. He was elected as the 96th president of the Seoul Bar Association in 2021 and succeeded in his re-election. The Seoul Bar Association presidency is considered a fast track to becoming the KBA president. He graduated from Sungkyunkwan University with a degree in Systems Management Engineering and completed graduate studies, then studied at the Seoul National University of Science and Technology Law School. After passing the 2nd Lawyer Examination in 2013, he served as the inaugural president of the Korean Association of Law School Graduates in 2015 and was vice president of the KBA in 2017.

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