Lawyer Rha Seung-chul, 36, was elected the youngest ever president of the Seoul Bar Association, Monday.

It is the first time in the 104-year history of the association for a lawyer under 40 to be elected the leader of the group, which represents about 9,000 lawyers practicing in Seoul.

Rha’s election came at the general meeting of the Seoul Bar Association at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Seoul on Monday afternoon.

Votes were cast and counted, followed by the inauguration ceremony, all in one day. Rha took office immediately for a two-year term.

He won 1,443 or 32.8 percent of 4,406 valid votes, beating the other five candidates. The turnout was 48.5 percent of 9,131 Seoul’s lawyers.

In 2011, Rha lost the previous presidential election of the Seoul Bar Association by a narrow 26-vote margin.

In October 2012, he launched an association of young lawyers with less than 10 years of legal experience.

As the new president of the Seoul Bar Association, he plans to work for the maintenance of a state-run judicial examination, the introduction of a preliminary test to become a lawyer and the improvement of working conditions.

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)