Annual bar exam starts after gov't lifts ban

The national bar examination began across Korea on Tuesday, one day after the Ministry of Justice reversed an earlier decision to ban anybody infected with the new coronavirus from sitting for the annual exam.

The ministry initially planned to prohibit anybody diagnosed with Covid-19 from taking the exam, which is scheduled to continue through Saturday. It had planned to offer separate test sites for those put under self-quarantine or with suspected coronavirus symptoms.

The ministry scrapped its stance toward Covid-19 patients, after the Constitutional Court approved an injunction request from some examinees Monday, ruling that restricting the opportunity to sit for the bar exam violated their freedom of occupation and the right to life.

The ministry said that not a single test applicant has tested positive for the coronavirus or been put under self-quarantine until now.

The ministry had previously announced that applicants who test positive for the virus would not be allowed to take the exam. Those who are confirmed to have contracted the virus during the test period are also to be banned from finishing the exams.

Last week, a group of applicants filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court requesting an injunction against the ministry's decision, claiming it could hurt their rights.

On Monday, the court delivered a unanimous decision that the Justice Ministry must suspend its restriction of test opportunities for coronavirus patients until a court ruling is made on the case.

Meanwhile, many examinees criticized the ministry for hastily adopting the court decision without preparing antivirus measures at the test sites. They insisted that the ministry come up with sufficient quarantine measures to prevent Covid-19 transmissions among examinees.

Yonhap