Marie Seong-Hak Kim, born in Seoul, Korea, in 1958. Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School. Professor of History at St. Cloud State University.
Fellow (1 September 2013 – 30 June 2014)
LAW AND JUSTICE IN KOREA: THE RULE OF LAW AND THE ROLE OF COURTS IN MODERN POLITICAL TRANSITIONS
Research Question
What is the role of the courts in modern Korea?
Project Description
This project sets forth the evolution of the judicial process in modern Korea. It discusses in particular the role of the courts under the authoritarian Yusin Constitution (1972-1980). Jurisprudence during this period pointed to the classic judicial dilemma of unjust law, a common issue in a civil law system with a sovereign legislature. The relative importance of legal stability and substantive justice is an enduring question in legal philosophy and history. The Korean case presents a genuine debate about the rule of law and judicial independence.
Selected Publications
1) Law and Custom in Korea: Comparative Legal History, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
2) Michel de L’Hôpital: The Vision of a Reformist Chancellor during the French Religious Wars, Kirksville: Truman State University Press, 1997.
3) “In the Name of Custom, Culture, and the Constitution: Korean Customary Law in Flux,” Texas International Law Journal 48 (2013): 357-91.