Hwang Yun-suk

Hwang Yun-suk
Prosecutor, Seoul District Prosecutor's Office
In office
1953–1954
Judge of the Seoul District Court
In office
1954–1961
Personal details
Born1926
Died21 April 1961(1961-04-21) (aged 31–32)
NationalitySouth Korean
Korean name
Hangul
황윤석
Hanja
黃允石
Revised RomanizationHwang Yunseok
McCune–ReischauerHwang Yunsŏk

Hwang Yun-suk (Korean: 황윤석; 1929 – 21 April 1961) was the first female judge in South Korea.[1][2][3]

Career

Hwang graduated from Jinmyeong Girls' High School, and went on to study in the Faculty of Law at Seoul National University.[4] She passed the third annual Higher Civil Service Examination [ko] in 1952.[5] She took office as a prosecutor in the Seoul District Prosecutor's Office [ko] in 1953.[4] In September 1954, she was appointed a judge of the First Civil Division of the Seoul District Court [ko], and held that position until her death.[6][7]

South Korea's first female court clerk, Park Gyeong-sun (박경순; 朴京順), began working for Hwang in 1960.[8]

Death and legacy

Hwang was found dead on the morning of 21 April 1961.[7] There is speculation she was killed by her in-laws or her husband.[1]

The Yun-suk Scholarship was established in her memory at her alma mater Jinmyeong Girls' High School in April 1962, on the first anniversary of her death, with an endowment of ₩1.5 million.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b Kim, Haesook (2015-03-13). "Changes in Gender Composition and the Future of Gender Balance in the Legal Professions in Korea". In Miyazawa, Setsuo; Ji, Weidong; Fukurai, Hiroshi; Chan, Kay-Wah; Vanhullebusch, Matthias (eds.). East Asia's Renewed Respect for the Rule of Law in the 21st Century: The Future of Legal and Judicial Landscapes in East Asia. Hotei Publishing. p. 181. ISBN 9789004274204.
  2. ^ Kim, Haesook (July 25, 2007). "Opening of the Judiciary in Korea: Hwang Yun-suk and the Pioneer Women Judges from 1952-1990".[permanent dead link‍] Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Law and Society Association, Berlin, Germany
  3. ^ 이, 종하 (2013-10-08). 4월의 모든 역사 - 한국사 (in Korean). 디오네. ISBN 9788998241759.
  4. ^ a b "最初의女檢事첫視務" [First job appearance of first female prosecutor]. Kyunghyang Shinmun. 22 July 1953. p. 2. Retrieved 9 August 2018 – via Naver News Library.
  5. ^ "三回高等考試司法科合格者" [Qualified Examinees of Judiciary Division in Third Higher Civil Service Examination]. The Dong-A Ilbo. 8 December 1952. Retrieved 9 August 2018 – via Naver News Library.
  6. ^ "最初의女判事" [First female judge]. Kyunghyang Shinmun. 10 September 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 9 August 2018 – via Naver News Library.
  7. ^ a b "黃允石女判事絕命" [Female magistrate Hwang Yun-suk passes away]. The Dong-A Ilbo. 21 April 1961. p. 1. Retrieved 9 August 2018 – via Naver News Library.
  8. ^ "法廷에첫女書記登場" [First female clerk appears in court]. The Dong-A Ilbo. 24 September 1960. Retrieved 9 August 2018 – via Naver News Library.
  9. ^ "「允石奬學會」를창설" [Yun-suk Scholarship Committee established]. Kyunghyang Shinmun. 21 April 1962. p. 3. Retrieved 9 August 2018 – via Naver News Library.