This year, SNU Law School accepted first-year students for the fourth time since it replaced SNU College of Law for entering undergraduates in 2009. Among the 153 new students, 78 (50.9%) were male and 75 (49.1%) were female students.

The Law School confirmed that it's first time in history that almost half of the law major students are female. Among general undergraduate freshmen population this year, women constitute 35 percent, a figure considerably lower than that of the law school.

For some time now, the number of female SNU law students has been steadily increasing.

In 2007, the percentage of female students accepted into SNU Undergraduate College of Law was 34.0%, which rose to 40.8% in 2008. When SNU Law School replaced SNU College of Law in 2009, the percentage rose to 44% with 66 female freshmen out of a total of 150. Over the next two years, SNU Law School admitted 155 students, of which 44.52 percent, or 69, were female.

"Since all applicants' personal data are concealed from the examiners during the screening process, gender is not considered in any way. Actually, the steep rise in the proportion of female law students was a surprise to us as well," says the law school officer.

SNU's first female law student was the late LEE Tae-Young, the first female lawyer in Korea, who entered SNU in 1946. It was not until 1982 that the number of SNU female undergraduates majoring in law reached double digits. Many believe the recent steep increase in the number of female law students at SNU is the result of Korea’s efforts to create gender equality.

Written by LEE SuKyoung, SNU English Editor, sukyoung123n@gmail.com
Reviewed by Eli Park Sorensen, SNU Professor of Liberal Studies, eps7257@snu.ac.kr
Proofread by Brett Johnson, SNU English Editor, morningcalm2@gmail.com