0
President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a town hall meeting with Gwangju and South Jeolla residents at the National Asian Culture Center in Gwangju on June 25. / Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung on June 25 raised concerns about the current legal system that restricts qualification for becoming a lawyer to graduates of law schools, saying there “seems to be a problem” with this single-track approach to legal careers.

Speaking at a town hall meeting with citizens of Gwangju and South Jeolla Province held at the National Asian Culture Center in Gwangju, Lee responded to a participant who said, “Only law school graduates can become lawyers, but only the rich can afford law school.” Lee replied, “Personally, I agree to some extent with the criticism of the law school system.”

The president added, “Coincidentally, we were just discussing the possible reinstatement of the national bar exam over lunch. This topic is highly controversial.”

He also remarked, “There are even concerns that the current system resembles the ancient 'eumseo' system (a nepotistic appointment system), rather than the merit-based past civil service exams.”

Still, President Lee noted, “It’s not easy to bring this up as an official agenda. It’s a very difficult topic,” and suggested to Presidential Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom, “Why don’t you take a look into it?”

Lee added, “Personally, I think the law school system is now well-established, so abolishing it won’t be easy.”

He continued, “But must law school be the only path to becoming a lawyer? If someone has the ability, shouldn’t there be a way to test their qualifications even without a law school degree?”

Lee concluded, “That’s what I personally think, but it’s a subject that could spark intense policy and social debate, so it’s not something I can speak lightly about.”