ABSTRACT
Kim Young-sam’s inauguration in 1993, the first civilian government since the military coup of 1961, had a great impact on Korean society. This chapter describes the events that transformed the Korean judicial system, focusing on the changes in the production of lawyers during the reform movement of Kim’s government. The judiciary in Korea has been very successful in remaining aloof and relatively insulated from the rapid changes taking place in other areas of society during the last few decades. The new civilian government, launched in 1993, provided fertile ground for public debates concerning the reform of the old system which had been established, more or less, to expedite the exercise of public power. The number of legal professionals in Korea is extremely small in proportion to the country’s population, economic volume and number of legal disputes. New solutions or compromises will be achieved by striking a balance between public interests at large and the vested interests of the legal profession.
