Korean Bar Association Selects Son Yonggeun as Recipient of 'Korean Legal Culture Award'

"Contributing to the Advancement of Legal Culture"

The Korean Bar Association (KBA) has selected lawyer Son Yonggeun of Law Firm Dongin as the recipient of the 56th Korean Legal Culture Award.

Yonhap News

On August 22, the KBA explained, "We determined that Lawyer Son's academic achievements and social activities have significantly contributed to the development of our legal culture, influencing not only the legal community but also academia and legal practitioners."

Lawyer Son was appointed as a judge in 1980 and built extensive experience and trust in the legal field by serving as presiding judge at the Seoul High Court and Busan High Court, as well as chief judge at the Seoul Administrative Court, Daegu High Court, and Patent Court, and as director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute. He later taught civil procedure at Chungnam National University and Hanyang University, dedicating himself to nurturing future legal professionals. In addition, as chair of the KBA's Law School Evaluation Committee, he focused on strengthening the connection and collaboration between legal practice and academia.

He is especially recognized for his significant contributions to preserving Korea's judicial history, including publishing the nation's first English-language Supreme Court casebook, which was distributed to courts in over 170 countries, and leading the first translation of the Joseon High Court decision records.

The Korean Legal Culture Award, regarded as the highest honor in the domestic legal community, was established by the KBA in 1969 to recognize and honor the achievements of legal professionals and scholars who have made outstanding contributions to human rights advocacy, the advancement of legal culture, or the exchange of legal culture through legal practice or academic research. This year marks the 56th recipient of the award.

The 56th Korean Legal Culture Award ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on August 25 at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul, in conjunction with the opening ceremony of the 33rd Lawyers' Conference for the Rule of Law.