The fourth guest of the series "IT'S MY LIFE," which tells stories of Pusan National University (PNU) alumni standing in a way unrelated to their graduation major, is Kang Sung-Min. He is now working as a lawyer for eight years. He is also working as an audit of Seoul Bar Association, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) Law School adjunct professor, and bar exam and police officer exam lecturer.

He graduated from the Dept. of Language & Information at PNU, and he also served as the Student President of the College of Humanities, and the President of the PNU Student Council. After graduating from SKKU Law School, he passed the bar examination in 2015 and has been working as an active lawyer since. On April 28th, Channel PNU met him through ZOOM, the online video conference platform, and listened to his story. 

Q. What is the reason you decided to enter law school after graduating Dept. of Language & Information?

A. I was considering how I can live for the greater benefit of the community when I was the president of the college of humanities and student government. I wanted to be a person who could help others while I was the president of the student government, and I thought, 'if I work a little harder today, the students' lives can be better.' Therefore, I decided to enter Law School to be a lawyer. 

Q. So, the experience of being president of the student government affected you entering law school. What did you do while working as a student government?

A. At that time, I considered realistic promises and policies that could practically help students. Now I remember the three promises that I focused on achieving. First, I adjusted the grade of course repetition. In those days, course repetition was only allowed to students under C0, so students who got C+ were asking professors to give them lower than C+ for course repetition. In this regard, I remember raising the retake credit to C+ through consultation with the university. 

Second, I remember making a “credit transfer system,'' The remaining credits from this semester were transferred to the next semester. The credits available per semester at that time were 20 credits. However, most courses were made up of 3 credits, so two credits were left (after filling 18 credits.) At that time, many students were sensitive to the tuition increase, and the credits were directly related to tuition, and I thought it needed improvement. Lastly, I organized a bus for reservist training, so students could comfortably go to reservist. 

Q. What was the most memorable experience for you while working as a lawyer and lecturer?

A. I also am lecturing about the constitution in the police officer examination. The constitution part of the exam was the first to appear, so the exam scale is indefinite. But most test-takers can not complain about the problem because they have to worry about getting a penalty. So, I requested a national authority to clarify the scope of the examination. They refused my request at first, but after filing an administrative appeal and receiving a decision to disclose information, the exam's content was determined. If test-takers know laws and systems well, they can actively respond to these problems, and I was proud that I could give them help through my profession as a lawyer. 

Q. Was there any reason for becoming a lecturer after graduating from law school and working as a lawyer?

A. It was challenging the first time in law school. My grade was very low because the terms of jurisprudence were strange, and the amount of study was a lot. Then, I realized there were many friends like me who had a hard time because they were not used to law. After bearing for one year of law school, I found a method of studying. 

I thought that the things I enjoyed were from the help of my surrounding environment and people around me, not from my efforts. Thus, I gave lectures to my friends from law school and people who had a hard time studying after passing the bar exam. The bar exam offers five opportunities to take in 5 years, so some older alumni prepared for their last exam. After giving free lectures for a year to those alumni and friends who were struggling with the exam, I became a bit famous, and I got an offer from an academy and started to lecture. 

Q. You are very famous to your friends or alumni, and to test-takers from all over Korea. What do you think made them trust you?

A. I think the level I lecture is at the level of test-takers. Whenever I give a lecture, I think a lot about how I can make the lecture easier for students to learn, so I think that is why my lecture is easier than other classes. I understand the difficulty of the lecture because I had those hard times too. Thankfully, many of my students call me a sincere lecturer. I try my best because my insincerity can damage them. 

Q. I think you value sincerity the most in your work.

A. As I work as a lawyer and lecturer, I have my clients. I think their lives change a lot depending on my skills and efforts. If I do a wrong lecture with incorrect knowledge or a bad task, it could be fatal to one's life. "If you're going to be an incompetent lawyer, it's good for the world not to be a lawyer."-I often say this phrase to test-takers who want to become lawyers. Also, I highlight 'that the clients come to you when he or she is in their most difficult time. So, do not make them feel unfortunate about meeting you.'

Q. You are in charge of various jobs, aside from being a lawyer and lecturer. Do you have any tips for managing your time?

A. I try to spend time meaningfully. I often make revisions to my plans, and I always check my current tasks and deadlines that I need to finish. Also, I try to use my spare time meaningfully too. While driving, moving, or exercising, I listen to the classes that can give me more background knowledge related to my job. 

Q. You are living your life super sincerely, as you said before. Though, isn't there any free time for you?

A. When I have free time, I travel and exercise regularly. I also tell my students to have productive hobbies rather than self-destructive hobbies. I think exercising is the best hobby to relieve stress and for health too.

When I studied at PNU, I took sports classes like squash and sports dance. At Law School, I went swimming every 7 o'clock in the morning because I was not a morning person. After becoming a lawyer, I barely did exercise because I was swamped. Therefore, I found a new hobby, wine, and I also got a license for wine professionals and enthusiasts, called "WSET."

Q. I heard you were a member of MENSA.

A. Yes, when I was in Law School, I took the MENSA test to get more confident, and I passed it. I do not think I am intelligent, but I got a sense of perseverance after passing the exam, even when dealing with difficult studies or complicated cases. Like this: 'If this is a difficult task for me, it is equally difficult for others. So, do not get discouraged, and I can do it if I focus a little more.'

Q. Your effort is indescribable. Lastly, do you have any advice for PNU students?

A. I believe that all PNU students have the power to do anything, and achieving it or not is based on them. In graduating high school, spending time in university, and preparing to get a job, many people experience failures and embarrassment by being compared to others. I call that a “learned sense of defeat,” It seems to be the biggest obstacle to overcome and challenge. I want to tell you to have confidence in doing what you want and to try as much as you want.

Reporter Im Ha-Eun

Translated by Yun Chae-Eun