More Women Entering Legal Profession

Korea’s courts and prosecutors’ offices are likely to employ more applicants, though they have not confirmed this yet. One official from the Judicial Research and Training Institute (JRTI) said, “Though there can be a slight difference between applicants and new appointees, more than half of the new appointees will be women.”

As of December last year, the number of women judges was 273 out of 2,032 except for apprentice judges, and there were 181 female prosecutors among the total of 1,551.

This year, the number of women graduates from the JRTI is 242, or 24.8% of a total of 975 graduates, exceeding last year’s ratio 20.8%. In 2006, there were 186 women graduates out of 895.

Among this year’s graduates, 267 people are expected to become lawyers except for the 190 would-be judges and prosecutors. Among them, the number of trainees who choose to work in law firms is 160, higher than that of last year’s (122), and 67 trainees are hired in other lawyer’s offices.

The number of people who will open attorney’s offices is 42, the lowest ever. Nine graduates will be new employees of seven companies like Samsung and Hanhwa, and 11 graduates will work in 10 government organizations, including the Financial Supervisory Service and the Justice Ministry.

Last year, 42 graduates chose to work in companies and government agencies.

311 graduates or 31.9 % are said to have not yet decided their plan.

Lee Sang-won, professor of JRTI, said, “The demand for lawyer rises as government bodies and businesses increase the number of lawyers. The graduates, who have not yet decided their way, are expected to work there within one or two months.”

The JRTI said 9 government organizations including the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MOFE) and The Ministry of Planning and Budget (MPB) will hire as many as 48 trainees.

In the meantime, Lee Seung-hwan (26) tops the list of graduates’ performance. Graduates include Cho Young-wok (30), the second son of Constitutional Court justice Cho Dae-hyun, and Park Ga-hyun (26), the daughter of Seoul High Court senior judge Park Hae-sung.

verso@donga.com