Law school in South Korea
Encyclopedia
In South Korea
, a law school
is an undergraduate institution where students major in law and are awarded a Légum Baccalaureus, or LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws). Following graduation, candidates must take and pass the bar exam. Under the present judiciary exam (as of 2008), the number of new lawyers admitted each year is limited to 1,000. Successful candidates must then complete the mandatory 2 years of training courses at the Judicial Research & Training Institute (JRTI) in order to join the bar in Korea. The JRTI is managed by the Supreme Court.
However, as a result of a bill passed in July 2007, the education system for legal studies will soon undergo significant changes. The 2007 Act calls for the adoption of a separate law school system similar to that of the United States
, with the new graduate-level law schools expected to open by 2009. Only a limited number of universities will be permitted to establish such graduate-level law school
s, as determined by the relevant government agency after its review of each university's submitted materials. In February 2008, the Education Ministry released a final selection of 25 universities approved for the new graduate-level law schools (15 in the Seoul
metropolitan area and 10 in the provinces). The selection process itself has not been without controversy; upon release of the final list, some of the excluded universities threatened to sue for an injunction or stage protest rallies, and one university president threatened to resign.
Under the new system, those who have bachelor's degrees can apply for law schools which have three-year programs and the graduates can then take the bar exam; those who achieve a certain score (or above) will be licensed. In addition, based on an October 2007 revised plan submitted by Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, the law school admission is limited to 2,000 candidates.
The bar passage rate in South Korea is very low, less than five percent.
in that students who graduate with an LL.B. are qualified to sit for the bar exam. However, upon implementation of the 2007 Act calling for reform in legal education, laws schools will become graduate schools (similar to the US system) and will require a bachelor's degree
, a satisfactory undergraduate grade point average, foreign language proficiency, and a satisfactory score on the Legal Education Eligibility Test
(LEET) in order to be considered for admission (the LEET is modeled after Law School Admission Test (LSAT) in the US). Additional factors are evaluated through essays, interviews, school administered essay exams, and other application materials.
Seoul National (150), Korea / Sungkyunkwan / Yonsei (120), Hanyang / Ewha (100), Kyunghee (60), Seoul City / Ajou / Inha / Choong-ang / HUFS / Kangwon / Kunkuk / Sogang (40)
Pusan National / Kyungpook National / Jeonnam National (120), Chungnam National (100), Chunbuk National, Donga (80), Chungbook National, Youngnam (70), Wonkwang (60), Jeju (40)
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, a law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
is an undergraduate institution where students major in law and are awarded a Légum Baccalaureus, or LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws). Following graduation, candidates must take and pass the bar exam. Under the present judiciary exam (as of 2008), the number of new lawyers admitted each year is limited to 1,000. Successful candidates must then complete the mandatory 2 years of training courses at the Judicial Research & Training Institute (JRTI) in order to join the bar in Korea. The JRTI is managed by the Supreme Court.
However, as a result of a bill passed in July 2007, the education system for legal studies will soon undergo significant changes. The 2007 Act calls for the adoption of a separate law school system similar to that of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, with the new graduate-level law schools expected to open by 2009. Only a limited number of universities will be permitted to establish such graduate-level law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
s, as determined by the relevant government agency after its review of each university's submitted materials. In February 2008, the Education Ministry released a final selection of 25 universities approved for the new graduate-level law schools (15 in the Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
metropolitan area and 10 in the provinces). The selection process itself has not been without controversy; upon release of the final list, some of the excluded universities threatened to sue for an injunction or stage protest rallies, and one university president threatened to resign.
Under the new system, those who have bachelor's degrees can apply for law schools which have three-year programs and the graduates can then take the bar exam; those who achieve a certain score (or above) will be licensed. In addition, based on an October 2007 revised plan submitted by Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, the law school admission is limited to 2,000 candidates.
The bar passage rate in South Korea is very low, less than five percent.
Admission
Currently, the legal education system in South Korea is similar to that of the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in that students who graduate with an LL.B. are qualified to sit for the bar exam. However, upon implementation of the 2007 Act calling for reform in legal education, laws schools will become graduate schools (similar to the US system) and will require a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
, a satisfactory undergraduate grade point average, foreign language proficiency, and a satisfactory score on the Legal Education Eligibility Test
Legal Education Eligibility Test
The Legal Education Eligibility Test is an examination which will be administered by the Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation , intended to provide law schools in the Republic of Korea an evaluation metric to measure reading and reasoning skills required for successful legal education...
(LEET) in order to be considered for admission (the LEET is modeled after Law School Admission Test (LSAT) in the US). Additional factors are evaluated through essays, interviews, school administered essay exams, and other application materials.
Accreditation
In February 2008, the Education Ministry released a final selection of 25 universities approved for the new graduate-level law schools. Total enrollment in all law schools is limited to 2,000 students per year.Republic of Korea law schools
Universities with their government approved annual enrollment of students:- Law school with government approved annual enrollment of 150 students
- Seoul National UniversitySeoul National UniversitySeoul National University , colloquially known in Korean as Seoul-dae , is a national research university in Seoul, Korea, ranked 24th in the world in publications in an analysis of data from the Science Citation Index, 7th in Asia and 42nd in the world by the 2011 QS World University Rankings...
- Seoul National University
- Law schools with government approved annual enrollment of 120 students
- Jeonnam National University
- Korea University Law SchoolKorea University Law SchoolKorea University Law School located in Seoul, South Korea is the law school of Korea University, a member of the SKY universities.-Notable alumni:* Oh Se-hoon: current mayor of Seoul* Hong Joon-pyo: current floor leader of the ruling Grand National Party...
- Kyungpook National UniversityKyungpook National UniversityKyungpook National University , abbreviated as Kyungdae, is a leading national university in Daegu, South Korea. The university is one of 10 Flagship Korean National Universities. It is one of the three best recognized and oldest national universities with Seoul National University and Pusan...
- Pusan National UniversityPusan National UniversityPusan National University is one of ten flagship Korean national universities and a leading university in South Korea...
- Sungkyunkwan Law School
- Yonsei UniversityYonsei UniversityYonsei University is a Christian private research university, located in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1885, it is one of the oldest universities in South Korea, the top private comprehensive universities in South Korea, and is widely regarded as one of the top three comprehensive...
- Law schools with government approved annual enrollment of 100 students
- Chungnam National UniversityChungnam National UniversityChungnam National University is one of 10 Flagship Korean National Universities.Additionally, it is recognized as one of the most prestigious five national universities in Korea.- History and Introduction :...
- Hanyang University Law SchoolHanyang University Law School1. Rankings and Enrollment Hanyang University School of Law is one of the best law schools located in Seoul, South Korea. According to the Korean Law Times in 2004, Hanyang University has produced 5.1% of all Korea's lawyers. The detail rankings of lawyer's number are as below1. Seoul Nat'l...
- Ewha Woman's University
- Chungnam National University
- Law schools with government approved annual enrollment of 80 students
- Chonbuk National UniversityChonbuk National UniversityChonbuk National University in Jeonju, South Korea is the Flagship Korean National University for Jeollabuk-do province, also known as Jeonbuk or Chonbuk. Chonbuk National University has been constantly recognized as one of top universities in the world ranked 501-550th in the world by QS Top...
- Dong-A UniversityDong-A UniversityDong-A University is a major private university in Korea. The university's campuses are based in Greater Busan, the second-largest city in South Korea. About 19,000 students are enrolled...
- Chonbuk National University
- Law schools with government approved annual enrollment of 70 students
- Chungbuk National UniversityChungbuk National UniversityChungbuk National University is one of 10 Flagship Korean National Universities.It takes its name, Chungbuk, from the common abbreviated form of the province's Korean name.- Overview :...
- Yeungnam UniversityYeungnam UniversityYeungnam University is one of the largest universities in South Korea outside of Seoul. The university's predecessors, Taegu College and Chunggu College, were founded in Daegu in 1947 and 1950 respectively. In 1967, the two colleges merged to form the degree-granting Yeungnam University. In...
- Chungbuk National University
- Law schools with government approved annual enrollment of 60 students
- Kyunghee University
- Wonkwang UniversityWonkwang UniversityWonkwang University is a university located in Iksan, South Korea....
- Law schools with government approved annual enrollment of 50 students
- University of SeoulUniversity of SeoulThe University of Seoul is a public university located in Seoul, South Korea. It was founded as Kyung Sung Public Agricultural College in 1918 and renamed the University of Seoul in 1997. UOS is one of top 3 universities without medical school...
- Hankuk University of Foreign StudiesHankuk University of Foreign StudiesHankuk University of Foreign Studies is one of the leading universities in the Republic of Korea.HUFS has been consistently ranked as one of the most prestigious higher education institutes in Korea, especially being ranked as a top in the field of Foreign Language...
- Ajou UniversityAjou UniversityAjou University is a private, co-educational, doctoral institution. It is located in Suwon, 20 km south from Seoul, the capital of South Korea.-Founding:...
- Chung-Ang UniversityChung-Ang UniversityThe Chung-Ang University is a private comprehensive institution in South Korea, located over two campuses in Seoul and Anseong. It was founded subsequent to liberation from Japanese colonial rule for the benefit of the nation and advancement of civilization, with the educational philosophy of...
- Inha UniversityInha UniversityInha University is a private, co-educational university located in Incheon, South Korea. It is owned by Hanjin Group.Inha University was established by the first president of South Korea, Syngman Rhee. It is a Korean-American collaboration school, even in its name: the Morpheme "In" comes from the...
- University of Seoul
- Law schools with government approved annual enrollment of 40 students
- Kangwon National UniversityKangwon National UniversityKangwon National University was established in 1947 in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do province, South Korea. As one of 10 Flagship Korean National Universities, Kangwon National University serves as the flagship educational institution of Gangwon province....
- Jeju National University
- Sogang UniversitySogang UniversitySogang University is one of the leading research and liberal arts universities in Seoul, South Korea.The University was established in 1960 by the Society of Jesus to provide education based on the Catholic beliefs and inspired by the Jesuit educational philosophy, such as Georgetown University in...
- Konkuk UniversityKonkuk UniversityKonkuk University is a private university located in Seoul and Chungju. The Seoul campus is located in the southeastern part of Seoul, near the Han River, and is served by a metro station of the same name. The university possesses accreditation from the South Korean Ministry of Culture and Education...
- Kangwon National University
Law School enrollment by area
- Law Schools in Seoul area - total enrollment 1140
Seoul National (150), Korea / Sungkyunkwan / Yonsei (120), Hanyang / Ewha (100), Kyunghee (60), Seoul City / Ajou / Inha / Choong-ang / HUFS / Kangwon / Kunkuk / Sogang (40)
- Law Schools outside of Seoul area - total enrollment 860
Pusan National / Kyungpook National / Jeonnam National (120), Chungnam National (100), Chunbuk National, Donga (80), Chungbook National, Youngnam (70), Wonkwang (60), Jeju (40)