by Dae-Kyu Yoon

size: A5new, 484pages. publisher: Seoul National University Press, 2000.


About this book

This book examines the recent changes in Korean society with an explicit focus on legal transformations. Korean society has undergone significant changes during the last decade and the democratization process that began in the late 1980s has altered numerous Korean laws and legal institutions. Impressive levels of economic expansion right up until the financial crisis of 1997, coupled with the IMP bailout that followed, has together made a powerful impact on Korean society. The articles in this book explore the dynamic relationship between law and social change in Korea from various perspectives, reflecting the diverse interests of each individual author.

The authors consist of practicing lawyers, as well as professors of law, some of who employ interdisciplinary approaches to legal studies by attributing cultural, political, and socioeconomic conditions under which legal norms are applied and enacted to resolve problems. The articles in this book are divided into three distinct areas according to their topics: democratic reform under the new civilian government; legal reforms in the financial and business sectors after the IMF crisis; and the interaction between legal and social norms in the context of a more democratic and sophisticated Korean society.

This book is the very first volume on the topic that has been published in English to help foreigners grasp the substance and significance of the legal changes in Korea since the transition to civilian rule and the IMP crisis. As such, it will be invaluable to foreign attorneys and will also be of great benefit to students of Korean law and society.