Korean Constitutional Court Judge Visits UC Hastings

UC Hastings was pleased and honored this month to host Research Judge Jinhan Kim of the Constitutional Court of Korea. Judge Kim presented a campus-wide lecture on January 18th detailing the history of the Korean Constitutional Court's role in the country's transition to democratic governance.

"To prepare for a profession that is increasingly emphasizing global practice, it is critical that law students have the opportunity to gain concrete experience in more than one jurisdiction," remarked Chancellor and Dean Frank H. Wu. "Our students are extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to clerk with the Constitutional Court of Korea. UC Hastings thanks Judge Kim for his visit and looks forward to continued cooperation with the Constitutional Court."

Mass demonstrations in Seoul and other major Korean cities prompted the country's authoritarian government to strike a political bargain with opposition figures and liberalize Korea's political system in the mid-1980s, Judge Kim explained. This bargain included a package of constitutional revisions that, among other reforms, created the current Constitutional Court of Korea.    

"Since its formal establishment in 1988, the Constitutional Court has been one the most active constitutional courts in East Asia," noted Professor Keith Hand, a specialist on East Asian legal systems and the faculty liaison for Judge Kim's visit. "The Court has played a critical role in consolidating Korea's political transition. We are grateful for Judge Kim's insights into the jurisprudence of this important East Asian judicial institution and his thoughts on the Court's future potential and challenges."

Judge Kim is currently conducting research on the U.S. Supreme Court at the Federal Judicial Center in Washington, D.C. Following his UC Hastings lecture, he met with Dean Wu, Academic Dean Shauna Marshall, Associate Dean for International and Graduate Programs Joel Paul and Professors Ashutosh Bhagwat, Bill Dodge, Beth Hillman, Rory Little and Calvin Massey to discuss his research and future cooperation with UC Hastings. 

Judge Kim also met with several UC Hastings alumni, including Jean Kim ‘99, Secretary of the Korean American Bar Association of Northern California, and Dean Fealk '00, the first U.S. citizen to serve as a clerk on the Korean Constitutional Court in 1997. 

Jeremy Sell, now a UC Hastings 3L, also clerked for the Korean Constitutional Court in the summer of 2010 and served as the lead student coordinator for Judge Kim's Hastings visit.

"Clerking at the Court was a rewarding and unforgettable experience," said Sell. "I learned a great deal about U.S. and Korean constitutional law and formed a lot of friendships. One thing that really impressed me is the balance that is struck between theory and practice-intellectual inquisitiveness and scholarly rigor are a real part of the culture of the Court despite settling well over 1,000 cases a year."