김재원 교수 는 미국 의 어느 학술지 에 이렇게 썼 다 . " Inmost countries , lawyers constitute a unique profession , subject to two quite opposite public images : one good and the other evil . This contrast seems especially servere in contemporary Korea . In the eyes of the Korean people , lawyers are champions of human rights and the incarnation of self - sacrifice , but , at the same time , are seen as a class of lawfullylicensed thieves . Many people , of course , well aware that lawyers of the former kind are rare , but this image in Korean society has been so strong that if frequently compensated for the negative image of the majority of lawyers "( Jae Won Kim , " The Ideal and the Reality of the Korean Legal Profession ", 2 Asian - Pacific Law & Policy Journal 45 , 2001 ) .