The Sociology of Law in Korea

An overview of the sociology of law in Korea notes the introduction of Western sociology of law in the 1950s & the 1960s emergence of research by Korean legal scholars, most of whom adopted a sociological perspective in an effort to bridge the gap between written law & law in action. The three primary subject areas are the legal consciousness of Koreans, historical analyses of law/society, & responses to foreign law. Although some sociologists began to express an interest in the sociology of law in the 1970s, they tend to focus on topics that are unrelated to positive law. The work of Hahm Pyong-Choon is explored as representative of sociolegal studies of the 1960s & 1970s, & it is maintained that subsequent legal scholars have been primarily concerned with legal culture. The 1990s debate surrounding Asian values is examined to show how it has revived discussions of legal culture among sociolegal scholars. Distinctions between the legal culture of Korea & Japan are explored along with probable directions for future research. 19 References. J. Lindroth