A view of Jeju National University School of Law (Image courtesy of Jeju National University)
SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — More graduates from South Korea’s top universities are enrolling in regional law schools, reflecting a sharp rise in competition for legal careers and raising new concerns about equity in the country’s law education system.
Newly released government data show that this year, 31 percent of first-year students at five lower-tier law schools — including Kangwon National, Jeju National, Dong-A, Wonkwang and Yeungnam — completed their undergraduate studies at Seoul National, Korea, or Yonsei University, collectively known as “SKY,” the three most prestigious universities in the country.
When counting all 11 regional law schools, the share grows to nearly 39 percent, or roughly one in four students nationwide.
The trend marks a shift in attitudes among elite graduates who once focused almost exclusively on Seoul-based programs. High competition for admission has pushed many to broaden their search geographically as the number of applicants continues to surge. More than 19,300 people registered for this year’s Law School Admission Test, nearly double the number from 2009, when South Korea’s law school system was introduced.
Behind the demand is the enduring appeal of legal credentials in a tightening job market. As top science students crowd into medical schools, humanities and social-science graduates are pursuing law degrees even at institutions once dismissed as fallback options.
But the influx of elite students is prompting criticism that the country’s law school system — designed to diversify the legal profession — is instead reinforcing longstanding hierarchies.
“The system was meant to cultivate lawyers from a wide array of backgrounds,” said Rep. Kang Kyung-sook of the Jo-guk Innovation Party, who released the data. “We need to rethink the admissions framework to ensure that goal is not lost.”
For some applicants, changing attitudes are driven by pragmatism, not pride.
“I used to think there was no point unless it was a top school in Seoul,” said a 30-year-old office worker who recently expanded her applications to regional programs. “But as the competition grows and time passes, you realize that a law license is the real goal.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
