The Government Must Substantially Reduce the Number of New Attorneys and Radically Reform the Current Selection Process

In 2009, Korea introduced the law school system, adopting an “education-based system for cultivating legal professionals.” At that time, the government promised that, based on the policy of unifying the legal profession, it would increase the number of attorneys while gradually reducing and consolidating quasi-legal professions that overlap with the work of attorneys.

However, despite 15 years having passed since the implementation of the law school system, that promise remains unfulfilled. Due to the government's inaction, the number of quasi-legal professionals has increased significantly, and every year, new attorneys are being produced far beyond the legal market’s capacity to absorb them.

Statistical indicators show that the legal profession in Korea is already oversaturated. Compared to Japan, which has a similar legal system, Korea has approximately twice as many attorneys per capita, nearly three times the number of newly admitted attorneys annually, and about six times as many quasi-legal professionals per capita.

Each year, around September, the Ministry of Justice announces the schedule for the bar exam and determines the number of successful candidates through a deliberation by the Bar Examination Management Committee on the day results are released. However, the number of successful candidates is virtually predetermined, and one of several similar proposals is adopted by majority vote. Consequently, the number of new attorneys has consistently been decided according to the interests of committee members who are unrelated to the legal profession, disregarding objective data and the realities of the legal market.

According to Article 1(1) of the Attorney-at-Law Act, “The mission of any attorney-at-law shall be to defend fundamental human rights and realize social justice.” Most attorneys have faithfully upheld this mission, but the excessive competition for clients due to attorney oversupply has led to an increasing number of attorneys leaving the profession. This has directly resulted in harm to the public and a growing distrust in the justice system.

The Korean Bar Association strongly urges the government to drastically reduce the number of new attorneys. The government must objectively calculate the number of new attorneys based on Korea's population, the ongoing population decline, availability of quasi-legal professions in foreign legal systems, relevant supply-demand statistics, and the current state of the legal profession. At present, the appropriate number of new attorneys per year should not exceed 1,200.

In addition, the current deliberation process must be fundamentally reformed. Starting with the announcement of the bar exam schedule this year, the government should clearly disclose the range of attorney admissions for the 2026 bar exam. Sufficient time must be provided for realistic opinions from practicing attorneys to be reflected in the policy during the discussion process.

Mencius once said, “Without a stable livelihood, there can be no stable morality.” Without economic stability, it is difficult to maintain a righteous heart. The government must not ignore the grim reality in which attorneys, due to market oversaturation, struggle even to uphold the mission defined by law. To prevent a decline in the quality of legal services, public economic loss, and further harms caused by excessive competition, the normalization of the attorney supply is essential.

The Korean Bar Association exists to uphold the dignity of the legal profession, improve and advance legal services, and foster the development of legal culture. The normalization of attorney numbers is the foundation for achieving these core objectives.

The Korean Bar Association once again strongly urges the Ministry of Justice to acknowledge the serious situation facing the legal profession and the resulting harm to the public, and to reduce the number of new attorneys this year to below 1,200.