Law and Justice in Korea

A rather bulky book covering some 540 pages, this study introduces and analyzes laws of both South and North Korea. Foreign scholars and students have evaluated this book to be a very significant work in introducing the identity and characteristics of Korean law. As a scholar who has specialized in the history of legal thoughts bridging philosophy of law and legal history, the author has lectured on Korean law in the United States, Germany, China, and Japan, as well as Korea, and continued to present papers in many international conferences. As such, this book can be said to be the synthesis of his academic activities. Comprised of five chapters, this book, in Chapter one, begins with the introduction of the Korean legal system and the status of studies on Korean law by Western scholars. Presenting the image of haetae (a mythical unicorn-lion) as the symbol of law and justice in Korea and legal paintings, the author shows that Korean law is a different world from that of the West. In Chapter two, which deals with traditional laws, the author closely analyses the law and trials and the development of the image of law in Korea. At the same time, he argues that through communication with Chinese and Japanese laws, Korea law become the foundation of the East Asian common law. In Chapter three, the author gives an in-depth description of the modernization of Korean law, the changes in the Confucian basis of Korean law, and the relationship between state and church. Chapter four deals with important legal issues of modern Korea, such as the judicial system, legal consciousness, legal education, and comparative studies of law. Chapter five describes the North Korea's legal system, comparison of law between South and North Korea, and human rights issues in South and North Korea.