Wednesday, March 7, 2012

A Short History of Soongsil University and its College of Law


Soongsil University is similar to many colleges and universities in South Korea in that it was founded by early Christian missionaries. Since its founding 115 years ago, it has survived persecution, a civil war, relocation, and gone on to become a leading university.

Soongsil University was founded on October 10, 1897 in Pyongyang as a private school by Dr. William M. Baird, a missionary of the Northern Presbyterian Church of America. In 1900 the school was developed into an official 4-year junior high school. In October 1901 the school was named Soongsil Hakdang (숭실학당, "Soongsil Academy"). The name, Soongsil (숭실), roughly means "Revering [God] (숭 soong) with Truth and Integrity (실 sil)".

In 1905 the Hakdang was permitted by the missionary body to establish a college, called Union Christian College.  Law is part of the curriculum from the very beginning.  Early law classes included “Civil Law”, “Debate and Argument”, and “Rhetoric”.

U.C.C. was later authorized as a university by the Japanese colonial government in March of 1912. But in 1925 the school was forcibly reduced to a 4-year technical school of humanities named 숭실전문학교 (崇實專門學校), pronounced Sūjitsu Senmon Gakkō in Japanese.

On March 4, 1938 the school closed itself in order to protest against the enforcement of Shinto shrine worship. In August 1945 Korea was liberated from Japanese colonialism, but the effort to restore the Soongsil College did not succeed until after the end of the Korean War.

In April 1954 Soongsil College was reestablished in South Korea. The Department of Law was one of the original four colleges that constituted the reborn college. In June 1957, Soongsil moved to its present-day Sangdo-dong Campus. In 1971 the College merged with Daejun College (대전대학 (大田大學) (not to be confused with present-day Daejeon University) into Soongjun College (숭전대학 (崇田大學)).

In December 1971 the College acquired a university status. In 1972, Soongsil's College of Law opened its graduate school program, offering LL.M.s and Ph.D.s.

In December 1982, Daejeon Campus of Soongjun University was separated and renamed Hannam University. In 1984, the Department of Law was officially promoted to the College of Law.

In November 1986, Soongjun University was renamed Soongsil University.

In 2010, the College of Law announces the new Department of Global Law.  The new degree, the LL.B. in Global Law, is one of the first programs in South Korea to offer education in the common law to undergraduates.





Soongsil Moot Court Team wins at Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition

Soongsil's College of Law is building a winning tradition in Moot Court!

Red Cross International Humanitarian Law - Im Ah-Young and Lee Chung-Ho accept their third place prizes for Overall Competition, and the first place prize for Best Memorial.


On September 24, 2011, two of our Freshmen class competed against teams from across South Korea.  Most of the competitors were either students at post-graduate law schools or were upperclassmen in undergraduate law studies. Our team of Yi Chung-Ho and Im Ah-Young were the only freshmen at the competition.

The judges were international in character, hailing from France, Switzerland, Beijing, Malaysia, the United States, and South Korea. Many of the judges at the competition are judges in real life. The oral arguments and memorials needed to be in English.

Soongsil's team survived the Preliminary Rounds to become one of four final teams. After the final rounds, our team found themselves ranked Third Overall in South Korea.  They also won a prize for the Best Memorial submitted to the competition.

This is an outstanding result for our Freshmen!  Congratulations!

Red Cross's banner for the
International Humanitarian Law Moot Competition at Seoul National University





Soongsil College of Law - Law Department Professors

In Our Professors, we listed our complete faculty. 

Here is more information about the Law Department at Soongsil's College of Law. Our faculty teaches in both the Global Law LL.B. and in the B.A. Korean Law programs, but our administrative focus is on running the Korean Law and graduate school programs.

Department of Law:
  • Jin-Yeon Jung (정진연)
  • Kyung-Kun Kang (강경근)
  • Chul-Hong Yun (윤철홍)
  • Sam-Hyun Chun (전삼현)
  • Keuk-Soo Chun (전극수)
  • Jung-Sik Choi (최정식, College Dean)
  • Chul-Won Suh (서철원)
  • Chae Woo-Suk (채우석)
  • In-Seop Jung (정인섭)
  • Moon-Hyun Koh (고문현)
  • Jin-Sook Yun (윤진숙, Vice Dean, Department Chair)
  • Ji-Eun Lee (이지은)
  • Daniel Edelson



Jung Jin-Yeon
Korean Attorney
Sungkyunkwan University (Ph.D.)
Korean Criminal Law, Korean Criminal Procedure

Kang Kyung-Kun
Korean Attorney
Korea University (Ph.D.)
Constitutional Law


Yoon Chul-Hong
Korean Attorney
Freiburg University (Ph.D.)
Contract Law, Property law
Chun Sam-Hyun
Korean Attorney
Frankfurt University (Ph.D.)
Corporate Law, Commercial Law
Chun Keuk-Soo
Korean Attorney
Soongsil University (LL.M.)
Public Law, Administrative Law
Choi Jung-Sik, Dean of College
Korean Attorney
Yonsei University (Ph.D.)
Commercial Law, Insurance Law


Chul-Won Suh
Korean Attorney, American Attorney
Seoul National University (Ph.D.)
International Law



Chae Woo-Suk
Korean Attorney
Meiji University (Ph.D.)
Administrative Law



Jung In-Seop
Korean Attorney
Seoul National University (Ph.D.)
Labor Law
Koh Moon-Hyun
Korean Attorney
Seoul National University (Ph.D.)
Korean Constitutional Law, Administrative Law
Yoon Jin-SookVice-Dean College of Law
Korean Attorney
Washington University (SJD), Yonsei University (Ph.D.)
Korean Law and Society, Family Law


Ji-Eun Lee
Korean Attorney
Seoul National University (Ph.D.)
Civil Law



American Attorney
Fordham University (JD)
Commercial Law, Tort Law, Litigation, Civil Procedure

Soongsil College of Law - Global Law Department Professors


In Our Professors, we listed our complete faculty. Here is more information about the Global Law Department at Soongsil's College of Law. Our faculty teaches in both the Global Law LL.B. and in the B.A. Korean Law programs, but our administrative focus is on running the Global Law LL.B. program.

Global Law Department:
  • See-Young Oh (오시영)
  • Wan Q Pak (박완규)
  • Sahng-Hyeog Ihm (임상혁)
  • John Sang-Hyun Lee ( 이상현, Department Chair) (email)

See-Young Oh
Korean Attorney
JungAng University (PhD)
Civil Law, Contract Law, Property Law, Civil Procedure

Wan Q Pak
American Attorney, New York State Bar
Syracuse Law School (JD), Utah State University (MBA), Contract law, Property Law,
Int'l Business Transactions, Internet Law
Sahng-Hyeog Ihm, Department Chair 
Korean Attorney
Seoul National University (Ph.D. Civil Procedure, LL.M. Legal History, BA Law)
Civil Law, Civil Procedure, History of Law
American Attorney (Email)
Golden Gate University (SJD), New York University (LL.M.), Seoul National University (BA Law)
International Criminal Law, International Criminal Procedure

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Our Professors

Soongsil College of Law has a strong faculty with scholars educated around the world. Here is a brief listing of our faculty.


College of Law Dean
  • Jung-Sik Choi (최정식, Dean of College)
Global Law Department:
  • Shi-Young Oh (오시영)
  • Wan Q Pak (박완규)
  • Sahng-Hyeog Ihm (임상혁)
  • John Sang-Hyun Lee ( 이상현, Department Chair) (email)
Department of Law:
  • Wu-Suk Choi (채우석)
  • Jin-Yeon Jung (정진연)
  • Kyung-Kun Kang (강경근)
  • Chul-Hong Yun (윤철홍)
  • Sam-Hyun Chun (전삼현)
  • Keuk-Soo Chun (전극수)
  • Jung-Sik Choi (최정식, Dean of College)
  • Chul-Won Suh (서철원)
  • In-Seop Jung (정인섭)
  • Moon-Hyun Koh (고문현)
  • Jin-Sook Yun (윤진숙, Vice Dean, Department Chair)
  • Ji-Eun Lee (이지은)
  • Daniel Edelson


What does our school look like?

Click on the pictures below for larger images.

Our school looks like this:

Soongsil College of Law

At night, it looks like this:

Soongil College of Law, at night


Student Activities at Soongsil College of Law

Soongsil Univesrity has numerous clubs and facilities for students. The brand-new Student Union Building has a full array of snack shops, club rooms, and arena seating for its soccer field.

Within the College of Law itself, there exciting opportunities for fun:

  • The English Debate Society trains students for debate and moot court competitions in English. Our students have competed both regionally and internationally.  The English Debate Society also runs intra-mural competitions to provide fun for everyone.
  • The College has its own newspaper, the Lawgic.  Articles are written in several languages.
  • There are a variety of legal specialty clubs, such as the Corporate Law Club, the Criminal Law Club, and the Civil Law Club.
  • Most of our professors offer a "book club" each semester. The club chooses a book to read with the professor, so that everyone can enjoy a relaxed intellectual experience.

Classes for Global Law LL.B. - 4L Seniors

Our Seniors have a lot of choices.

  • Judicial Practice
  • Practice of Criminal Law
  • Comparative Securities Law
  • International Investment Law
  • Law of International Taxation
  • Law of International Business Transactions
  • International Anti-Trust and Competition
  • International Intellectual Property (IP) Law
  • Intensive Review of American Law
  • Externships

Classes for Global Law LL.B. - 3L Juniors

Our Juniors need to complete nine classes in law plus other electives in law. The required nine are:

  • Constitutional Litigation
  • Comparative Torts
  • Law of Corporations
  • Law of Civil Procedure
  • Law of Criminal Procedure
  • Law of Evidence
  • Comparative Evidence
  • Regulatory Law and Policy
  • labor Disputes and Law
Many of our Juniors plan to study abroad.  Soongsil's College of Law works with our students to coordinate their study plans with their travel abroad.

Classes for Global Law LL.B. - 2L Sophomores

Our Sophomores focus on commercial topics, from how to do business in the EU, to drafting international contracts, to learning how to handle disputes outside of the court process.

  • Law of the European Union
  • Comparative Property Law
  • Comparative Contract Law
  • Comparative Constitutional Law
  • Legal Dispute and Arbitration
  • Internet Law
  • Law and Korean Society
  • Comparative Real Estate Law

Classes for Global Law LL.B. - 1L Freshmen

Our Freshmen get off to a quick start with six fundamental law classes.

  • Introduction to American Law
  • Introduction to East Asian Law
  • Korean Public and Private Law
  • European Civil Code and English Common Law
  • Human Rights Law
  • Legal Research and Writing
In addition to these classes, our Freshmen take a variety of other university courses, including foreign language instruction.


Soongsil is Going to the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition

Soongsil's English Debate Society has three members going to the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition hosted by the International Student Law Association. Our students will be competing in the International Rounds with the winners from all of the regional and national rounds.

The Moot Contest will be held in Washington, D.C. from Sunday, March 25, 2012 till Saturday, March 31, 2012.

We wish them the best of luck!

Soongsil's Going to Stetson's International Environmental Moot Court Competition

Soongsil's English Debate Society has three members going to the International Environmental Moot Court Competition in Gulfport, Florida.  This Moot Competition is hosted by Stetson University's College of Law.

The International Finals are scheduled to be held from Thursday, March 29, 2012 till Saturday, March 31, 2012.

Once the competition is done, we'll lift the confidentiality of the team members and share photos from the trip.  Until then, we wish our students the best of luck!

Europe and more

Soongsil's Global Law LL.B. program is based on the American J.D. model, but it offers much more than American common law.

Our program offers classes on the history of European Law and on the laws of the European Union. Our classes include a strong tradition of continental code, because Korean law itself is inspired by the German code.  Several of Soongsil's College of Law's professors received their doctorates from prestigious German law faculties.

Other professors at Soongsil's College of Law have completed doctoral studies in Japan. Korea has a deep historical connection with Japan and Japanese legal traditions.

And of course, our college has over a century of teaching Korean Law. Our professors have broad expertise in a variety of Korean Law specialties.

Beyond law, Soongsil has a strong foreign language faculty that can help international students acquire languages that might be rare in their home country.

Admissions forms and more ...

Would you like to apply to our undergraduate program in Korean or to our undergraduate program in Global Law? If you do, we can help!

First, contact one of our professors.  Talk to them about your goals and study plans.  Let us know that you are applying so that we can help you step-by-step.

Next, apply! You'll need the forms.  
  • Try here for English language forms.  
  • Try here for Chinese language forms. 
The telephone number to call Soongsil admissions is +82-2-820-0049. 

Soongsil University Video Tours


Soongsil University has a couple of videos that you might enjoy. The videos provide a visual tour of our university. There are also a couple of videos in Korean that explain life on campus and how to be admitted.

Try this link: Soongsil University videos

The videos are available in a variety of languages, including English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

Soongsil's LL.B. in Global Law

Soongsil's College of Law offers an undergraduate degree (LL.B.)  in Global Law. The education is focused primarily on common law and is based on the curriculum of American law schools. Global Law also includes coursework in European and Asian legal traditions.

Our program is designed for students who are interested in Common Law and legal traditions outside of Korea. We combine the talents of the faculties of the Department of Law and the Department of Global Law to ensure a broad and deep educational experience.

Take a look at the four year program:


Soongsil's Global Law program is designed to resemble the American J.D. model. The program has adjusted American content to better fit our undergraduate international students. Our students study a full range of common law topics, we try to cover everything needed to be ready for a bar exam.

Our Global Law LL.B. also includes a strong focus on European and Asian Law.

Beyond course work, our students compete in Korean and International moot court competitions. They have their own journals and newspapers.

Our law school is located in the Veritas Building on our Seoul Campus. Its elegant and modern styling is matched by the new post-modern Student Union Building next door.  And of course, Soongsil has a gardened campus next to a large public park that rolls across green hills.

Our program is affordable for all. For most international students, our annual tuition, room and board can be under $10,000 (USD) a year. There are a variety of scholarships available for both Korean and International students. Contact us for more details!

If you are looking for an education in common law, but want to study in Asia at affordable prices, Soongsil's LL.B. in Global Law may be for you!