One in Ten New Judges Over Four Years Comes from Kim & Chang

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] It has been revealed that one out of every ten judges newly appointed in the past four years was a former lawyer affiliated with the law firm Kim & Chang.

According to the 'Statistics on Judges Appointed in the Last Four Years' released by the Supreme Court's Judicial Administration Office on the 30th, a total of 435 judges were newly appointed between 2018 and 2021. Among them, 225 (51.7%) were lawyers affiliated with law firms at the time of application, exceeding half. There were 68 public defenders, 50 judicial researchers, and 37 lawyers and prosecutors each from national and public institutions. Among lawyers affiliated with law firms, 41 were from Kim & Chang, accounting for 9.43% of all newly appointed judges. This was followed by Tae-pyungyang (17), Kwangjang and Sejong (14 each), and Bareun and Yulchon (13 each).

When classifying new judges by their alma mater (undergraduate), Seoul National University had the most with 143 (32.87%), followed by Korea University (80), Yonsei University (49), Sungkyunkwan University (32), and Hanyang University (30). Those who passed the Judicial Examination and graduated from the Judicial Research and Training Institute numbered 254, more than those from law schools (181). However, this year, law school graduates (79) surpassed Judicial Research and Training Institute graduates (78) for the first time.

Regarding the law schools attended, Seoul National University had the most with 33 (18.23%), followed by Sungkyunkwan University (20), Pusan National University (17), and Ewha Womans University (16). When categorized by legal career length, those with 5 to less than 6 years of experience were the largest group with 286 (65.7%), and those with 10 years or more were 26 (6.0%). By age group, those aged 30?34 were the most with 250, followed by 35?39 with 132, and those in their 40s with 45. The average age was 35.0 years.

Earlier, the Supreme Court issued appointment orders for 156 judges who received consent for appointment at the Supreme Court justices' meeting on the 16th. The Supreme Court will hold the judges' appointment ceremony for them on the afternoon of the 5th of next month in the main auditorium on the first floor of the Supreme Court. The 156 appointees will undergo training such as case studies and judgment writing at the Judicial Research and Training Institute for about five months starting from the 6th of next month and will be assigned to courts of various levels on March 1 of next year.