- Overview
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From Socrates to Miranda rights, here are the trials that changed the world
- Book Intro
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The world has evolved one trial at a time!
There have been many books introducing trials of monumental importance. All of these books have their own merits, but most are written either taking a certain point of view or for a simply entertaining read. There have not been many that relate such trials to the various issues of Korean society. The author, a judge for over 30 years has carefully curated a selection of trials of historical importance and used them as a mirror to hold up to the current state of Korean society.
This book is more than just an introduction of historical trials. It stands out in that it endeavors to interpret such trials to find how they influence our current times, through the eyes of a working member of the field. Whether the reader is reading for pleasure or for reference, those living in the realm of the law, in other words, everyone, will come to understand that trials are greatly connected to what goes on in society.
In this book, trials that show us the conflicts and issues of societies from ancient Athens to current U.S. have been selected. These range from political (the Catiline trial, the trial of Charles I, Marbury v. Madison), to financial (Lochner v. New York), to important social issues (the Socrates trial, the Dreyfus affair, the Eichmann trial, Miranda v. Arizona), to cultural (the case of Dred Scott, Brown v. Board of Education), to religious (the trial of Sir Thomas More, Galileo Galilei, the Salem witch trials), and also gender issues (the trial of Martin Guerre, the trial of Pankhurst). These trials are the ones where social polarity and conflict have bared themselves or exploded, and were subsequently followed by debate or evaluation afterwards, and some even led to a new solution.
On the other spectrum, the book also introduces trials of innocent people who have been unjustly misjudged. This is to take another look at history’s errors, and be reminded of the reason so that history does not repeat itself. Trials continue and history records them. If you were a judge who had to make a landmark decision, what would it be?
- About the Author
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Park Hyungnam
Park graduated from Seoul National University’s School of Law and began his career as a judge at the Seoul Central District Court. He endeavors to listen to those involved in every case and search for the fundamental cause behind each conflict. He is currently a judge presiding over fair trade and labor administration cases at the Seoul High Court.
Having always been interested in history and the field of humanities, Park started writing about a year ago to introduce famous trials in world history to readers, students and junior colleagues in the legal profession. His hope is that such stories of trials and legal matter will be told and known to those outside of the courtrooms.
- Recommendation
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This book is a recommended read for any reader who has contemplated the best direction of our legal system. Lee Jung-mi (Former constitutional judge)/ It is not easy for a historian to be well-read about the world of law, nor is it easy for a judge to be well-read about history. Judge Park has given us an outstanding read integrating both subjects. – Jou Kyung-chul (Dept. of Western history, Seoul National University)
- Selection
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Recommended Read by Kyobo Book's Book Morning Club (2018), Selected for the humanities category of the 2019 Sejong Books