[Yulgok-ro] American version of Manchurian lawyer

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Senior Reporter Seungwoo Lee = In the political and legal circles, there is a slang term called ‘Manchurian lawyer.’ It is a sarcastic term for a person who acts like a legal expert or lawyer even though he or she is not qualified to be a lawyer. Now it has become a common expression symbolizing a false career without professional knowledge. In the National Assembly, even though they are non-lawyers, members of the National Assembly who have accumulated legal expertise by serving for a long time in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly, where lawyers are gathered, are sometimes jokingly referred to as Manchurian lawyers. Sometimes, I have even seen cases where real lawyers belittle their less skilled counterparts by calling them Manchurian lawyers.

There is a strong theory that the expression Manchurian lawyer originated from the special characteristics of our modern history, when many people fled to Manchuria, China during the Japanese colonial period. In fact, it is said that right after liberation, there were many people who exaggerated their past experiences by boasting things like, “I participated in the independence movement in Manchuria” or “I did a big business in Manchuria.” This is because there is absolutely no way to verify whatever was done in Manchuria. Therefore, when the word 'Manchurian' is added in front of a job, it is commonly used to mean 'false career without substance.' There was a time when a quack without a medical license was called a ‘Manchurian doctor.’ ‘Manchurian Scholar’, ‘Manchurian Colossus’, and ‘Manchurian Fist’ also come from the same context.

However, the story of this Manchurian lawyer is indeed controversial in reality. This is an incident that occurred not in our country but in the United States, and at the White House, the pinnacle of world power. White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharias, recently appointed by President Donald Trump, has touted her experience as a lawyer in the past, but it turns out she also failed the U.S. bar exam. Even when asked in his first briefing which state he passed the bar exam in, Zacharias answered, "When I moved to China." Since the answer is difficult to confirm and the region is China, it can be said that this is the completion of the Manchurian lawyer's saga.

American society reacts more strictly to lies and false careers than ours. Zachariah did not pass the American bar exam, and foreigners cannot obtain a lawyer's license in China, so he has been deceiving people for a long time. The president who selected him was also humiliated. President Trump introduced Zacharias as a lawyer when announcing his new mouth. In addition to controversy over his career, it was reported that Zacharias was eventually dismissed four days after taking office due to criticism that he lacked skills as a public affairs staff member. The immaturity of her predecessor, Caroline Levitt, was further highlighted by the fact that she was not defeated in logical battles with mid-level reporters.

The U.S. version of the Manchurian lawyer controversy can also serve as a teacher for us. This is because it is a frequent occurrence in our society to hold important positions in governments, companies, institutions, and organizations by claiming false experience. As a representative example, the 'Shin Jeong-ah academic background falsification case' caused a great stir throughout our society, not only in the art world but also in politics. As a result of these events, the government and institutions have significantly strengthened their personnel verification systems, and cases of falsification of educational background and career history have clearly decreased, but we must not let down our guard. As the saying goes, ‘personnel matters everything’, the process of selecting and hiring people must be careful and thorough.