Under the old system, which will run parallel to the new
system until 2013, there are three stages to the process of
admission to the Korean Bar. First, typically, would-be
lawyers attain an LL.B. (that is, undergraduate) degree.i
About 13,000 students per year receive LL.B. degrees.
Second, they study for two to three years at a school that
prepares them to take the Korean Bar Examination.ii
Because the LL.B. is not required to practice law in South
Korea, some would-be lawyers enroll in bar preparation
classes without completing the degree, and indeed without
holding an undergraduate degree at all.iii Those who pass
the bar examination (which has a pass rate of less than 5%)
must study for an additional two years at Korea’s Judicial
Research and Training Institute and pass a final exam
before they are admitted to practice.iv