Singapore, 30 October 2013 (Wednesday) – Since the Korea-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (KSFTA) entered into force in 2006, the economic relations between Singapore and Korea have grown from strength to strength.  Korea is Singapore’s seventh largest trading partner¹ and there are currently more than 1,000 Korean companies in Singapore², including MNCs such as Samsung and Daewoo International.  With a view toward training more lawyers with expertise in the legal systems of Singapore and Korea, Singapore Management University (SMU) and Yonsei University in Korea have established a joint programme under which a Juris Doctor (JD) student from one university can, with two years of study in the partner university, obtain a second JD degree from the latter.

The Dual JD programme has been made possible by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was signed by the deans of SMU School of Law and Yonsei University Law School last month.  Besides the dual degree programme, the MOU also facilitates academic and cultural exchanges.

Under the partnership, SMU’s JD students must have completed at least two academic years of study in Singapore and meet the minimum Grade Point Average before they may be transferred to Yonsei’s JD programme with full recognition of their credits earned at the SMU School of Law.  SMU’s JD students will take 19 credit units in Singapore and 60 credit units in Korea.

An SMU student who completes two years of study in Singapore and two years at Yonsei University will receive a JD degree from each institution.  The same applies for the JD student from Yonsei University.

“We are pleased to partner with Yonsei University in this Dual JD Programme.  It is an exceptional opportunity for SMU’s law students to widen their academic and intellectual horizons, as well as gain greater insights and knowledge about Korea’s legal system.  This exposure will give them a competitive advantage that will stand them in good stead when they pursue careers with Korean MNCs in Singapore and firms with a strong presence in the Korean market,” said Professor Yeo Tiong Min, Dean of SMU School of Law.  Professor Yeo is also the Singapore’s first Honorary Senior Counsel and a Yong Pung How Professor of Law.

Each year, up to two students from each law school will be admitted into this dual degree programme, which will see a rigorous selection process, given the demanding nature of the curriculum.  SMU’s JD students hold undergraduate degrees in non-law disciplines (or law degrees from non-common law jurisdictions).  Launched in 2009, SMU’s three-year full-time JD programme graduated its first batch of students in 2011. 

To date, the SMU School of Law has established partnerships with 31 universities internationally.  Earlier this year, SMU had also become the first Asian university to join the ranks of top law European Universities as part of the THEMIS network, alongside Università Bocconi (Milan, Italy), Esade (Barcelona, Spain), Freie Universität (Berlin, Germany), Université Paris Est Créteil Val de Marne (Paris, France) and Maastricht Law School (Maastricht, The Netherlands).  THEMIS represents a network of six institutions which have come together to create a new standard in business law in response to an increasing demand for law professionals with international know-how and expertise.

¹ Source: IE Singapore website, http://www.iesingapore.gov.sg/Venture-Overseas/Browse-By-Market/Asia-Pacific/South-Korea/Country-Information.