No.158 / Jun 13, 2022
Chair professor Kim Young-ran is at Ajou University’s Graduate School of Law (Ajou Law School). Professor Kim served as a judge in several courts and as a Supreme Court justice for 10 years from 2004, and has been chairperson of the Sentencing Council since 2019. She also proposed the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, called the Kim Young-ran Act. The Ajou Globe (The AG) met Professor Kim Young-ran.
Q. There must have been many law schools, but what made you choose Ajou Law School?
A. I have lived in Gyeonggi-do for a long time, and Ajou University is the only law school in Gyeonggi-do, so I thought this was my last place to work.
Q. You have participated as an author in Ajou University’s book club; was there a message you wanted to convey to Ajou students?
A. I participated due to the recommendation of the president at the time. In order to overcome the current situation of difficulty in communicating with people with strong confirmation bias and different thoughts, I thought it was important to read and talk through books that were not their major, and I wanted my thoughts to be conveyed.
Q. Is there a judicial officer you admire?
A. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a United States (U.S.) Supreme Court justice who died in 2020. After her death, I even wrote a column in a newspaper titled “The lives of Ginsburg and the women’s lawyers on this land resemble parallelism.”
Q. You have made numerous rulings for 29 years since 1981; which is the most memorable in both a good and bad sense?
A. There are many rulings, but I remember that the ruling that recognized the freedom of educators in high school religious education was good, and I think that the ruling that prioritized the son over the spouse or daughter as the chief priest is piteous.
Q. What is the most important value in the Supreme Court ruling?
A. After all, it is the value that the Constitution wanted to contain. Democratic values and fundamental rights, such as separation of powers.
Q. When you think you need a change in a precedent (case raw) what elements of it do you usually notice and decide to change?
A. I think it is important to compare the value that the ruling wants to protect and the value that people who suffer from it must sacrifice.
Q. Please say something to Ajou University students who wish to become legal professionals in the future.
A. The legal profession sets the standards of justice in our society, so heavy responsibility and sacrifice must follow. I ask you to adequately acquire knowledge regarding law and resolve and aim to use it properly.
By Lee Noo-ri, AG Senior Editor
cabello1706@ajou.ac.kr