High school students in Gwangju took on the roles of judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys, experiencing courtroom procedures firsthand while exploring careers in law.
The Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Office of Education announced that on August 28, it held a completion ceremony for the '2026 High School Mock Trial Career Mentoring' program, which involved 31 students from the Gwangju area at the Gwangju District Court.
This program was designed to allow students to experience the concepts of law and human rights learned in the classroom through a process similar to an actual trial, enabling them to explore legal careers in detail.
After recruiting participants in July, the education office selected teams from four schools—Gwangju Dongseong High School, Gwangju Jinhung High School, Daegwang Girls' High School, and Munjeong Girls' High School—through a review by current judges.
The selected students prepared for the mock trial under the guidance of assigned mentor judges. They wrote trial scenarios and refined them, organizing the issues of the case and learning about the trial process and the roles of each participant.
The culmination of their preparation was showcased in an actual courtroom. Before the completion ceremony, students performed the mock trial at the Gwangju District Court, taking on roles such as judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and witnesses.
The focus was on moving beyond simply reading a script to examining the facts of the case and applying relevant legal principles, allowing students to experience how logical reasoning and legal thinking are conducted in a trial.
Current judges also participated as expert advisors. They observed the students' logical structuring, trial progression, and legal reasoning, providing feedback to each team and individual student.
After the mock trial, students were awarded certificates of completion for the program.
Yang Seung-woo, a student from Gwangju Dongseong High School, said, “By writing the scenario and performing the trial in an actual courtroom, I gained a better understanding of the concerns and judgments that legal professionals face. Collaborating with my friends to complete a trial made me think more concretely about a career in law.”
The Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Office of Education plans to continue its collaboration with the Gwangju District Court to expand career experience programs that allow students to explore various professional fields outside of school.
Hyung Ji-young, head of the Career Guidance Division, stated, “I hope students experience the values of law, justice, and human rights through the mock trial career mentoring and explore their aptitudes and career paths in detail. We will actively support experiential career education that allows students to learn on-site and design their career paths in collaboration with professional institutions.”
Meanwhile, the mock trial career mentoring program is significant for providing students with opportunities to experience real job environments through collaboration between educational and judicial institutions. The Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Office of Education plans to continue utilizing various professional institutions and community resources, including the legal field, to broaden opportunities for students to directly experience job environments and clarify their career paths.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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