KOREAN BAR ASSOCIATION

The KBA, as the regulatory authority for the legal profession, sets and enforces
professional standards. The KBA investigates complaints and imposes disciplinary
sanctions to ensure that both the public and the profession are properly served by
ethical and responsible lawyers. (Korean Lawyers Act and Foreign Legal Consultant
Act)
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Korean
Bar
Association
The 48th
President
Chang-Woo Ha

BRIEF HISTORY
The current Korean Bar
1952

Association (KBA) was founded on August 29,

Participation in the International Bar Association (IBA) since 1958

Preparation of the Code of Ethics for Lawyers (1962) and its successive amendments
Co-founder of LAWASIA in 1966 and continuing member

QUALIFICATIONS FOR LAWYERS

TRADITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Candidate must pass the Korean Bar Examination
Completed the two year training course at the Judicial Research and Training
Institute

NEW QUALIFICATIONS
(This system started in 2009)
A candidate must complete a graduate level law school program (3 years) at an
approved university in Korea and have passed the Korean Bar Examination
Candidate must pass the Korean Bar Examination
Completed the two year training course at the Judicial Research and Training
Institute

REGISTRATION AS A LAWYER
Must register with the KBA
Registration must be submitted to the KBA through the local bar association with
which the applicant intends to be affiliated
KBA Registration Screening Committee determines that the applicant has well-founded
reasons for disqualification.

GENERAL ACTIVITIES OF THE KOREAN BAR ASSOCIATION

Traditional Qualification System

Monitoring of governmental activities

Pro-bono activities
On-duty lawyer system

New Law School Qualification System

Lawyers Conference for Rule of Law
Korean Legal Culture Award
Policy suggestion to improve the judiciary

Registration as A Lawyer
Participation in the International Bar Association (IBA)
Participation in the Law Association for Asia and the Pacific (LAWASIA)
Participation in the Conference of the Presidents of Law Associations of Asia (POLA)
Sponsoring of the International Association of Korean Lawyers (IAKL)

Legal Aid
Assistance to North Korean refugees
Assistance to the elderly, the minors and the disabled.
Assistance for small claims

Lawyers Training Program

Regular educational programs on legal theories, practical knowledge and the Code of
Ethics
Special training focused on a special area of law
Overseas training
-Young Leaders Program in Japan
-International Lawyers Diploma Programme in Great Britain

Publications and Public Relations

Human Rights Report
White Paper on North Korean Human Rights
KBA Newspaper
Human Rights and Justice

https://www.koreanbar.or.kr/eng/pages/introduce/introduce.asp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_South_Korea
https://www.hg.org/bar-associations-korea.asp
http://www.korealaw.com/sub/information/boardView.asp?
brdIdx=1&mode=view&brdId=overview