Women’s Rights and the Reform of South Korean Family Law from the 1950s to the 1980s: The Role of Yi T’ae-yŏng

This thesis examines the reform of South Korean family law from the 1950s to the 1980s, focusing on Yi T’ae-yŏng’s role in a broader movement for legal and social change. Drawing on legal texts, Yi’s writings, and institutional records, it situates her activities within the post-liberation legal framework that culminated in the 1958 Civil Act, which removed some formal inequalities while preserving patrilineal and gender hierarchies. In this context, Yi’s work at the Women’s Legal Counseling Center linked recurring family disputes to legal research, public education, and campaigns for legislative reform. Her understanding of equality evolved from an emphasis on women’s legal knowledge and capacity to exercise rights to a broader critique of unequal authority within the family and the idea of “family democratization.” Nevertheless, the reforms of 1977 and 1989 show that change depended on wider coalitions, political conditions, and strategic compromise. The thesis thus evaluates both the significance and the limits of Yi’s contribution to the transformation of South Korean family law.