Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) Graduate School of Legal Affairs has been proven to be one of the nation’s top law schools.

Students from the Graduate School of Legal Affairs won both the civil and criminal divisions of the Supreme Court–hosted "3rd Gain Court Moot Competition," marking the first time in the competition’s history that one law school claimed first place in both categories and thereby enhancing the university’s reputation as a prestigious national law school.

This achievement follows the school’s runner-up finish in the criminal trial category at the inaugural 2010 "1st Gain Court Moot Competition." The award winners were 하헌환, 이동산, and 홍정훈 in the civil trial category, and 심강현, 엄태섭, and 김별다비 in the criminal trial category.

In addition, 임여진, 최유진, and 김연재 received Commendation Awards for outstanding performance in the finals.

Notably, civil-division winner 하헌환 was also selected as the competition MVP for the most outstanding oral argument, resulting in the university taking every major prize at this year’s event.

The competition, organized by the Supreme Court to foster oral-argument skills among law students nationwide, was the largest of its kind, with 360 teams and 1,080 participants from 25 law schools across the country. Divided into civil and criminal trial categories, participants acted as counsel for plaintiffs or defendants in civil trials and as prosecutors or defense counsel in criminal trials to present oral arguments.

Held over a six-month period, the competition selected 72 teams nationwide through preliminary rounds. At the finals held on January 9 at the Seoul Court Complex, 12 teams—six from each of the civil and criminal divisions—advanced to the championship round.

In the civil division, teams from our university, Sungkyunkwan University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Kyungpook National University, Hanyang University, and Inha University advanced to the finals. In the criminal division, teams from our university, Yonsei University, Kyung Hee University, Ajou University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, and Kyungpook National University advanced.

At the blind final held on February 13, in which participating universities were not disclosed, our university’s team participated in the civil division as counsel for the defendant in a case concerning claims for tort liability arising from invasion of privacy and defamation on social media.

They argued in favor of protecting freedom of expression with respect to potential invasions of privacy and defamation on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. The team presented dense, well-reasoned arguments to Presiding Judge Kang Il-hwan of the Seoul High Court, who served as the trial judge and evaluator, and received high praise for the overall quality of their performance.

In the criminal division, the team acted as prosecutors in a case involving charges for unlawful disclosure of a suspect’s identity by the police and subsequent charges against a reporter for defamation and violation of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection. They argued that prosecuting the previously unprosecuted offense of unlawful disclosure of a suspect’s identity was appropriate because the victim’s human rights took precedence. The judges praised the team for the strong coherence between their main argument PPT and oral presentation, and for their comprehensive responses to legal questions.

Hong Chun‑ui, Dean of the Graduate School of Legal Affairs, said, "I am immensely proud that our university is the first to win both the civil and criminal divisions in this nationwide competition that measures the oral-argument skills of law students. This result demonstrates the exceptional capability of our law school nationwide and raises the standing of our law school across the country."