3 20-something Koreans pass Japan`s national bar exam

Three Koreans in their 20s have passed Japan`s national bar exam this year, garnering heated attention in Japan`s legal sector.

This marks the first year since the law school system was introduced in Japan in 2004 that three ethnic Koreans simultaneously passed the national bar. They are Kim Young-min, 29, who graduated from Keio Law School in March this year, and Myeong Mal-geum, 27, and Cho Woo-sang, 26, who both earned degrees from the University of Tokyo School of Law.

The three spoke to the media in Tokyo.

Kim graduated from Sungkyunkwan University College of Law in Seoul and Myeong majored in political science at Seoul National University. Cho is a graduate of Keio University College of Law.

Kim first went to Japan in 2005, when he studied at Kobe University as an exchange student. "I gained valuable experience in a short period of time, which completely changed my career path," he said.

For Myeong, her fondness for Japanese pop music and novels motivated her to start studying Japanese on her own, which ultimately led her to apply for the bar.

Cho, whose father does business with Japan, had adapted to Japanese culture from childhood.

All three of them said they simply followed their passions and did what they loved.

On how they prepared for the test, Kim said, "I wasn`t born smart. I studied really hard. I studied furiously with hardly any break."

Cho said, "I studied 10 hours a day. It was even harder for me because I was also preparing for Korea`s national bar exam. Time constraints were the biggest challenge for me."

"Now that I`ve passed the Japanese bar, I can devote myself to the Korean bar."

Myeong said, "I was a little easygoing in the first two years of the three-year term at school. In the final year, however, I studied continuously except for short sleeping breaks. I was sometimes frustrated over setting a too tough a task for myself."

"In Japan, 74 law schools admit more than 3,600 students each year. The pass rate was just 23.5 percent (this year), however.”

All three said the March 11 earthquake was the biggest obstacle for preparing for the Japanese bar. With the exam due for May, they had a hard time conditioning themselves because of the quake.

The closure of schools also deprived of them time to walk to and from schools that would have otherwise given them time for relaxation.

When asked to compare the Japanese bar to Korea`s, Cho said, "Japanese exams ask for detailed answers on how to deal with respective issues. The questions are lengthy and require answers for practical solutions.”

A look at exam questions that Cho has unveiled showed that civil law questions took up three pages with balance sheets attached as appendices. The answer sheets were 10 pages long.

Despite passing the bar, the three Koreans face another obstacle in that Japanese law prohibits foreigners from being appointed as judges or prosecutors. Worse yet, nearly half of lawyers in Japan are unemployed.

So why did the three choose to attend law schools in Japan instead of those in Korea or the U.S.?

Kim said, "I wanted to take a path no one has yet taken,” adding that though many lawyers work on Korean and U.S. issues, few who have a good knowledge of both Korea and Japan.

Cho said, "Amid increasing exchanges among Korean and Japanese companies and expanding chances for individuals to trade with Japan, the number of international lawsuits is rising."

The three also said they were determined to pass the Japanese bar and gave their reasons.

Cho said, "I want to challenge the unconstitutionality of lawsuits against antiquated laws," citing a Japanese law that bans women from getting remarried within six months.

Myeong, who wanted to be a diplomat, said, “After gaining experience in corporate M&As, I want to become an international lawyer in this area. My dream is to contribute to exchanges between Korea and Japan in an exclusive professional field, not in the pop culture sector."

changkim@donga.com