Murder Records of the Forgotten
Law and Order of Joseon Korea
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Beschreibung
This book offers a groundbreaking perspective on everyday life in premodern Korea through the lens of historical true crime. Based on nearly 500 homicide reports (검안, geom-an) preserved in the Kyujanggak Archives of Seoul National University, this book — a translation from its original Korean — uncovers the emotional, social, and legal landscapes of the late Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) by documenting how ordinary people — women, farmers, concubines, laborers — navigated violence, justice, and morality. Through vivid, real-life murder investigations, the book brings to life forgotten stories of jealousy, vengeance, betrayal, and grief, revealing not only crime and punishment, but the texture of everyday life in a deeply hierarchical and emotionally charged society. The narratives draw from legal testimonies, forensic reports, and confessions— sources rarely translated or analyzed in English — and restore humanity to those long excluded from official history. Bridging Korean historiography, global microhistory, and the narrative power of true crime, this book is both a pioneering academic resource and an accessible, emotionally resonant volume that will appeal to researchers in law and legal history, Korean history, criminology, gender studies, and sociology.
Kim Ho is a prominent Korean historian specializing in Joseon-era law, governance, and medical history. He received his Ph.D. in Korean History from Seoul National University and is currently Professor and Deputy Director of the Seoul National University Asia Center. His research draws heavily on rare primary sources—autopsy reports, legal codes, medical texts—to reconstruct the lived experiences of non-elite Joseon society (Prof. Kim Ho’s CV is included at the end of this document)
Minjae Zoh, the translator, is an HK Research Professor at Seoul National University Asia Center. Her scholarship focuses on heritage studies, dictatorship and memory politics, and UNESCO World Heritage. She is the author of The Impacts of Dictatorship on Heritage Management (Vernon Press, 2020) and co-editor of Asia’s Heritage Trend (Routledge, 2023).
This book offers a groundbreaking perspective on everyday life in premodern Korea through the lens of historical true crime. Based on nearly 500 homicide reports (검안, geom-an) preserved in the Kyujanggak Archives of Seoul National University, this book — a translation from its original Korean — uncovers the emotional, social, and legal landscapes of the late Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) by documenting how ordinary people — women, farmers, concubines, labourers — navigated violence, justice, and morality. Through vivid, real-life murder investigations, the book brings to life forgotten stories of jealousy, vengeance, betrayal, and grief, revealing not only crime and punishment, but the texture of everyday life in a deeply hierarchical and emotionally charged society. The narratives draw from legal testimonies, forensic reports, and confessions — sources rarely translated or analysed in English — and restores humanity to those long excluded from official history. Bridging Korean historiography, global microhistory, and the narrative power of true crime, this book is both a pioneering academic resource and an accessible, emotionally resonant volume that will appeal to researchers in law and legal history, Korean history, criminology, gender studies, and sociology, as well as general interest readers drawn to true crime history.
The first English-language narrative of premodern Korean homicide records Recovers voices of commoners and women erased from traditional Korean history Places Joseon Korea in global debates on law, society, and justice
Autor*in
Kim Ho
Themen in »Murder Records of the Forgotten«
Joseon dynasty homicide records criminal justice history from below Korean social history