Traditionally, Korean legal education followed the German and Japanese models. Recent reforms are shifting professional education from an undergraduate LL.B. to a postgraduate J.D. type of education. In addition, many Korean universities continue to offer legal education in academic and scholastic frameworks, offering graduate degrees, including Ph.D.s in Law.
Further, several universities focus on legal systems outside of Korea, such as on Common Law.
Admission and Law School Ranking
Since the implementation of the 2007 Act calling for reform in legal education, law schools in Korea became graduate schools (similar to the US system) and require a bachelor's degree, a satisfactory undergraduate
grade point average
Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...
, foreign language proficiency, and a satisfactory score on the Legal Education Eligibility Test (LEET) to be considered for admission (the LEET is modelled after Law School Admission Test ( LSAT) in the US). Additional factors are evaluated through essays, interviews, the school administered essay exams, and other application materials.
2012–2020 Top 10 Law School Ranking from Hankyung Business Magazine was:
# Seoul National University School of Law
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Korea University School of Law
Korea University School of Law, located in Seoul, South Korea, is the law school of Korea University, a member of the SKY universities. The Law School is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious law schools in South Korea, as it has p ...
Sogang Law School
Sogang Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Sogang University, located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 2009, it is one of the founding law schools in South Korea and is one of the smaller schools with each class in the th ...
law school
A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction.
Law degrees Argentina
In Argentina, ...
was an undergraduate institution where students major in law and are awarded a ''Légum Baccalaureus'', or LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws). Following graduation, candidates must take and pass the bar exam. Under the present judiciary exam (as of 2008), the number of new lawyers admitted each year was limited to 1,000. Successful candidates must then complete the mandatory 2 years of training courses at the Judicial Research & Training Institute (JRTI) in order to join the bar in Korea. The JRTI is managed by the Supreme Court.
However, as a result of a bill passed in July 2007, the education system for legal studies will soon undergo significant changes. The 2007 Act calls for the adoption of a separate law school system similar to that of the United States, with the new graduate-level law schools expected to open by 2009. Only a limited number of universities will be permitted to establish such graduate-level
law school
A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction.
Law degrees Argentina
In Argentina, ...
s, as determined by the relevant government agency after its review of each university's submitted materials. In February 2008, the Education Ministry released a final selection of 25 universities approved for the new graduate-level law schools (15 in the Seoul metropolitan area and 10 in the provinces). The selection process itself has not been without controversy; upon release of the final list, some of the excluded universities threatened to sue for an injunction or stage protest rallies, and one university president threatened to resign.
Under the new system, those who have bachelor's degrees can apply for law schools which have three-year programs and the graduates can then take the bar exam; those who achieve a certain score (or above) will be licensed. In addition, based on an October 2007 revised plan submitted by Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, the law school admission is limited to 2,000 candidates.
The bar passage rate in South Korea is around 50%, yet declining rapidly due to restraints on the number of lawyers admitted to the bar association. Only approximately 1500 people can be admitted to the Bar annually. More and more students who already graduated law school are retaking the Bar exam, which may cause issues with law school system in Korea.
Chungnam National University Law School
Chungnam National University Law School (CNULS, colloquially referred as Chungnam Law) is the professional graduate law school of Chungnam National University located in Daejeon, South Korea. Established in 2009, Chungnam Law is one of only twen ...
Chungbuk National University Law School
Chungbuk National Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Chungbuk National University, located in Cheongju, South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the sou ...
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Yeungnam University Law School
Yeongnam ( Hangul: 영남, ; literally "south of the passes") is a region that coincides with the former Gyeongsang Province in what is now South Korea.
The region includes the modern-day provinces of North and South Gyeongsang and the self-g ...
* Law schools with government approved annual enrollment of 60 students
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Kyunghee University Law School
Kyung-hee, also spelled Kyong-hui or Gyong-hui, is a Korean unisex given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 54 hanja with the reading "kyung" and 25 hanja with the reading "hee" on the ...
Ajou University Law School
Ajou () is a former commune in the Department of Eure in Normandy. It is located in northern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Mesnil-en-Ouche.Chung-Ang University Law School
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Inha University Law School
Inha Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Inha University, located in Incheon
Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Inch ...
*Law Schools in Seoul area (total enrollment 1020)
Seoul National (150) // Korea / Yonsei / Sungkyunkwan (120) // Hanyang / Ewha (100) //
Kyunghee (60) // Seoul City / Choong-ang / HUFS / Kunkuk / Sogang (40).
*Law Schools outside of Seoul area (total enrollment 980)
Pusan National / Kyungpook National / Chonnam National (120) // Chungnam National (100) // Chunbuk National / Donga (80) // Chungbook National / Youngnam (70) // Wonkwang (60) // Ajou / Inha / Kangwon / Jeju (40).
Common Law Education
Several universities have added undergraduate or postgraduate programs in Common Law. Those schools not only teach common law, but also teach most or all of their classes in English. Handong Global University offers a three-year postgraduate degree that parallels an A.B.A.-style J.D. educational program. Soongsil University offers an undergraduate LL.B. that parallels common law educations in English-speaking countries. Both schools have strong moot court teams that compete internationally.