[비즈한국] Ms. A, a woman in her late 20s who graduated from a mid-to-high-tier university in Seoul with a humanities degree, recently quit her job at a major conglomerate to begin preparing for law school admissions. She realized that she lacked specialized skills when considering her career ten years down the road at her corporate job.
Ms. B, also in her late 20s and a graduate of a "SKY" university, left her job as a PD at a media company after 18 months. While she was satisfied with the work and the environment, she found herself thinking, "I want to earn more," every time she heard about her seniors' salaries. Ms. B has begun her studies, anticipating a five-year journey to obtain a lawyer's license.
LEET Applicants Reach 20,000
As the economy struggles, law school has become a "beacon of hope" for white-collar workers with degrees in social sciences, business, and humanities. This is because it is one of the few licenses that allows those from non-legal academic backgrounds to enter a "professional" field. Beyond police academy graduates and former civil servants, even employees from major conglomerates are now taking on the challenge of law school.
Ms. A explained, "The benefit is that after graduating from law school, I could work in the legal department of a major conglomerate, or elevate my career further by working in public office as a prosecutor or judge. I decided to quit my corporate job because I want to work in an environment where I have more freedom and my abilities are recognized."
The problem is that the competition has become fierce. While the bar exam pass rate remains in the 50% range (52.3% this year), there is talk that one’s career trajectory is often determined by their undergraduate institution and the specific law school they attend. The number of applicants for the Legal Education Eligibility Test (LEET) has more than doubled, from 8,838 in 2017 to 19,057 in 2025.
The LEET is a test that measures the academic abilities necessary for law school education, as well as the fundamental aptitude and potential required of a legal professional; this score is a key metric for law school admission. It is the second consecutive year, following 2024, that more than 19,000 people have taken the LEET. Industry observers note that it is not just the "raw competition rate" that has increased. With many candidates who have been preparing specifically for law school since their undergraduate years, the "difficulty" of the test itself has risen significantly.
Ms. A said, "At the cram schools, they tell us that it's difficult to get into a law school better than your own undergraduate institution, and that if you don't graduate from an 'in-Seoul' law school, it's hard to get hired by large law firms or appointed as a judge or prosecutor, so many people end up retaking the exam. Some friends even say if their LEET score is ambiguous, they would rather spend another year studying to aim for the law school of their own undergraduate university."
"30 Million Won Needed Per Year"
As competition heats up, so do the costs. Typically, tuition alone ranges from 15 million to 20 million won, and private education outside of law school classes is inevitable. Online lectures are essential, and receiving private tutoring from academies or practicing legal professionals on weekends has become the norm. With the bar exam pass rate falling to the low 50% range, passing on the first attempt has become difficult. After graduation, spending around 10 million won per year on private education is considered on the lower end. In fact, tuition for annual comprehensive management courses at large bar exam academies like MegaLawyers exceeds 10 million won, and a pass for unlimited online lecture access alone reaches 3 million won.
Considering the preparation period (1–2 years), the three-year course of study, and the typical scenario of taking the bar exam twice, one needs well over 100 million won—excluding basic living expenses—to obtain a lawyer's license over a five-year period.
One legal professional, whose child graduated from law school and took the bar exam three times, expressed concern: "Between academies, renting study rooms, and eating out while studying with peers, you need at least 1 million won a month just for pocket money. Including that, it’s like giving your child 30 million won every year. It doesn't seem like a market where children from families without significant financial means can survive."
Expectations for 'Resurrection of the Judicial Exam' Following President Lee Jae-myung's Remarks
Recent remarks by President Lee Jae-myung, pointing out that there are "problems with the route for training legal professionals" and labeling the law school and bar exam system as a "modern-day system of hereditary privilege," are seen as reflecting these concerns. Naturally, the possibility of reviving the old Judicial Exam (sa-si) has been raised. A model similar to Japan’s, which utilizes a "two-track" system of both law schools and the Judicial Exam to produce legal professionals, is also being discussed.
However, the Korean Bar Association opposes the "revival of the Judicial Exam" and is calling for the improvement and supplementation of the current law school system. The Association stated, "We should not engage in an old debate that causes institutional confusion and social conflict. We must diagnose the problems in the operation of the current law school system and seek directions for improvement and supplementary measures together."