Western Jurists on Korean Law: A Historical Survey

Abstract

Regrettably and understandably, Korean law has received no much academic attention from the Western scholars and lawyers. Neverthless, there have been quite a number pioneers who have written on Korean law through their direct or indirect contacts with Korea. This historical survey overviews these Western concerns on the traditional and contemporary Korean laws. It covers J. Kohler, P. von Möllendorff, O. Denny, C. LeGendre, W. Sands, J. Wigmore, L. Crémazy, F. Rey, W. Shaw, D. Eikemeier on traditional

Korean law, and G. Radbruch, A. Oppler, E. Fraenkel, H. Kelsen, C. Lobingier, R. Storey, J. Hall, J. Murphy, H. Silving-Ryu, M. Rehbinder, E. Baker, J.West, J.Van Dyke and some legal comparativists on contemporary Korean law. This essay suggests the importance of the research of Korean law from the perspective of comparative jurisprudence, citing Radbruchs expression that Korean law is typically an interesting object of historical and sociological researches.