California Tulare County District Attorney Peter Park
Youngest in Korea: Lawyer at 22, Prosecutor at 25
A Korean American youth in California, USA, has attracted attention for passing the bar exam at the age of 17 and recently being appointed as a prosecutor.
According to the Tulare County District Attorney's Office in California on the 6th (local time), Peter Park (18), who was recently appointed as a prosecutor, passed the California bar exam as the youngest ever.
He challenged the bar exam at the age of 17 in July and passed on his first attempt. The previous youngest person to pass the California bar exam was 18 years old.
He entered Oxford Academy, a high school in Cypress, Orange County, California, in 2019 at the age of 13. That same year, he passed the College Level Examination Program (CLEPS), which allows students to apply to law school without a high school diploma if passed, and enrolled in the Northwestern California University School of Law.
Peter Park, who passed the U.S. bar exam at 17 and was appointed as a prosecutor at 18. [Photo by Tulare County District Attorney's Office (TCDA) Facebook]
Peter Park passed the California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE) in 2021, which allowed him to graduate early from high school and focus on law school studies, graduating this year. From August of that year, he worked as a trainee at the Tulare County District Attorney's Office.
He turned 18, the legal adult age in the state, at the end of last month and officially received his appointment letter on the 5th, formally becoming a prosecutor.
He said, "It was not easy, but it was worth it. Passing the bar exam required training and strategy, and I ultimately succeeded. Discovering this path has been a great blessing to me, and I hope more people realize there are alternative routes to becoming a lawyer."
He added, "I aspire to become a prosecutor with a moral mission to uphold society's freedom, equality, and justice. I respect prosecutors who keep communities safe and help victims."
In Korea, Son Bin-hee attracted attention as the youngest lawyer by passing the bar exam at the age of 22 in 2014. Son passed the high school equivalency exam at 14, graduated early from university, and was admitted to Dong-A University Law School at 19 as the youngest student.
The youngest prosecutor in Korea was former Supreme Court Justice Ahn Dae-hee, who passed the judicial exam at 20 and was appointed as a prosecutor at 25.
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