The Korean Bar Association (KBA) has elected its first president from a law school background. Kim Jeong-wook, a lawyer from the second bar exam, has won the election. Kim previously served as the President of the Seoul Bar Association and received 6,409 votes, defeating lawyer Ahn Byeong-hee, who received 5,999 votes, by a margin of 410 votes. The turnout was 41.5%. His three-year term will begin after the regular general meeting on February 24th.
Kim gained the honor of being the first law school graduate to become the KBA president. He had also been the first law school graduate to serve as the President of the Seoul Bar Association. During his campaign, Kim promised to reclaim the roles encroached upon by other professions as a top priority. His main pledges included the completion of bills for 7 legislative proposals and the introduction of a German-style legal insurance system to expand professional roles, reviving criminal success fees, regulating network law firms, forming a committee to respond to platforms and AI, and reducing the number of lawyers.
Despite forming a coalition with former lawmaker lawyer Geum Tae-seob, Ahn failed in his bid, similar to his defeat in the 52nd KBA chairman election by a narrow margin of 135 votes to the current chairman, Kim Young-hoon.
The KBA chairman holds significant influence in the legal field, taking on roles in the formal selection committees for positions such as Supreme Court justices, Constitutional Court justices, and the Prosecutor General, as well as the head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials. Kim is expected to wield considerable influence in the legal community moving forward.