Expert contributors examine the challenges of fully implementing the rule of law in South Korea's fledgling democracy and market economy. The expert contributors detail the obstacles that must be overcome, such as corruption in politics and corporate governance and a deep-rooted cultural indifference to the rights of the individual, and offer suggestions on what can—and what should not—be done.

ÔAs dynamic as legal change has been in South Korea, it has also been understudied, at least until the arrival of this wonderful collection of essays. The authors, who are all leading figures in the field, demonstrate convincingly that Korean experience is relevant to many of the contemporary questions in law and society studies, including how to understand the dynamics of legal change, the role of law in development, the nature of transitional justice, and law in the postcolonial state. Every law and society scholar should read this book.Õ Ð Tom Ginsburg, University of Chicago, US This book sets out a panoramic view of law and society studies in South Korea, considering the factors that have made this post-colonial war-torn country economically and politically successful. The contributors examine societal and historical conditions that are reflected in Ð or that were shaped by Ð the law, through a variety of lenses; including law and development, law and politics, colonialism and gender, past wrongdoings, public interest lawyering, and judicial reform. In dismantling the historical specificity of the way in which Korea studies are universally framed the contributions provide novel views, theories and information about South Korean law and society. Incorporating various perspectives and methodologies, and demonstrating a finely crafted application of general theory to specific issues, this compendium will prove insightful to law scholars and researchers looking to widen their perspective and broaden their knowledge on law and society in Korea. Law practitioners whose practice requires knowledge of the Korean legal system will also find plenty of information in this authoritative book.

As a result of globalization, the barriers between countries are coming down. There is more interaction between countries than ever and mutual understanding and communication have become essential considerations. In such an atmosphere, the Korea Legislation Research Institute has published this book to spread awareness of outstanding Korean law and of its legal system throughout the globe, as the authoritative sources of legal information for other countries. This book explains Korean law in nine chapters that focus on its distinguishing aspects. The nine authors who have participated are all prominent scholars who have contributed their expertise to the project.

This is the first book on Korean legal history in English written by a group of leading scholars from around the world. The chapters set forth the developments of Korean law from the Chosŏn to colonial and modern periods through the examination of codified laws, legal theories and practices, and jurisprudence. The contributors’ shared premise is that the evolution of Korean law can be best understood when viewed in terms of its interactions with outside laws. Each chapter integrates literature in Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Western languages into comprehensive analyses to make up-to-date research available to readers both inside and outside Korea. This volume provides a solid framework from which to approach Korean legal history in the perspective of comparative legal traditions.

This volume is the first in a series of comparative studies that focuses on Korea's legal system and its political institutions under the sponsorship of the Korea Law Center at UC Berkeley Law School. Korea has experienced an astonishing pace of legal reforms within an interval of two generations. The collapse of the authoritarian regime started an irreversible process of democratization that has not yet completed its full course. The papers included in this volume cast new lights on the challenges and institutions that define the substance and the structure of current legal reforms. Although it is not the purpose of this volume to provide a comprehensive report on the current state of Korean law, the selective range of the themes is not a simple happenstance. It is representative of the current political debate which echoes the Korean society's determination to resolve the paradoxes of its legal tradition and overcome the trials of its democratic aspirations.