According to the Ministry of Justice, the second leg of the 59th National Judicial Examination is set to take place at Yonsei University in Seoul, marking the end of the state-run exam, which will instead be replaced with standard law school curriculum. (Image: Kobiz Media)
SEOUL, June 21 (Korea Bizwire) – What has been the only way to become a judicial officer in South Korea for over 50 years has finally come to an end, with the last exam scheduled to take place over the next four days, starting today.
According to the Ministry of Justice, the second leg of the 59th National Judicial Examination is set to take place at Yonsei University in Seoul, marking the end of the state-run exam, which will instead be replaced with standard law school curriculum.
The last judicial exam is for those who failed to pass the test in the first stage, which took place last year, through which only some 20 out of 222 were selected.
As the rest of the candidates give their best shot at the last judicial exam which will soon fade into history, only a total of around 50 lucky aspiring judicial officers will receive the chance to pursue a career in the legal field.
With the official judicial examination set to be terminated by the end of this year, more and more American-style law schools are expected to be introduced, which, some argue, could cause conflict between lawyers from law schools and those trained by the Judicial Research and Training Institute, which has been preparing students for the official judicial examination.
Since 1963, when the National Judicial Examination Ordinance took effect, it’s been a requirement for aspiring law officers in South Korea to take the exam, until last September when the Constitutional Court of Korea ruled the termination of the National Judicial Examination constitutional.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
