By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
Graduates of the nation's top three universities ― Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University ― are dominating the nation's judiciary, with nearly eight out of every 10 new judges and prosecutors appointed coming from the three universities.
Of 1,205 new judges appointed between 2003 and 2008, nearly 80 percent or 964 graduated from the ``SKY'' universities ― a combination of the first letter of the schools, said Rep. Lee Chun-seok of the Democratic Party, citing data from the Ministry of Justice.
Of 780 prosecutors designated during the same period, 546 were from these schools, accounting for 70 percent in total. The lawmaker added that roughly 60 percent of the 1,000 people who pass the Korean bar exam each year are also SKY certificate holders.
Such a ``SKY-take-most'' phenomenon is not confined to the legal circle. It has also played out in the field of business, the administration and journalism.
For instance, of 285 top government officials including ministers, vice ministers, and presidential secretaries, 61 percent or 175 are SKY graduates. Seven out of ten chief executive officers of top 100 Korean companies by market value in 2007 graduated from one of the three colleges.
Such SKY-dominant atmosphere invites invisible discrimination against those with what they call ``inferior academic background.''
A former judge from a non-SKY university said, ``School of origin appears to be playing a minor role in choosing those to be promoted in judicature. However, it's very, very important indeed.''
Of 14 Supreme Court judges here, Kim Ji-hyung is the only one with a non-SKY academic background. His alma mater is Wonkwang University in Iksan, North Jeolla Province.
Another former judge added, ``Competition among SKY graduates is also very intense. Some form an unofficial alliance with colleagues with identical backgrounds to take an upper hand in promotion.''
Rep. Lee said the government must take steps to keep the introduction of U.S.-style law schools, scheduled for March 2009, from strengthening further the dominance of the top three schools. ``The dominance of the three schools in the judiciary reflects a social trend where wealth and power are being inherited through entrance exams for universities. The government must take extra care to help resolve this phenomenon.''
pss@koreatimes.co.kr
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