Legal Profession Overview in South Korea

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction

The South Korean legal profession comprises three main branches: judges (판사), prosecutors (검사), and private attorneys (변호사). The profession underwent a fundamental transformation with the 2007 legal education reform, which replaced the traditional Judicial Examination system with a U.S.-style law school model. The Korean Bar Association (대한변호사협회) represents attorneys, while the National Court Administration (NCA) and the Ministry of Justice oversee judges and prosecutors respectively.

Traditional System (Pre-2007)

Judicial Examination

Before 2007, the legal profession was accessed through the Judicial Examination (사법시험) , an extremely competitive national exam:

Judicial Appointment and Legal Training in South Korea

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction

Judicial appointment and legal training in South Korea have been shaped by the 2007 transition from a unified examination-and-training system to a law school-based model. The Judicial Research and Training Institute (JRTI, 사법연수원) , which previously trained all legal professionals together, now focuses primarily on training new judges. The appointment of judges follows a career judiciary model, with most judges entering directly from legal training rather than from practice.

Legal Profession on ExcellentWiki - Legal Encyclopedia

Legal Profession Overview in South Korea

Introduction

Traditional System (Pre-2007)

Judicial Examination

Judicial Appointment and Legal Training in South Korea

Introduction