
Wrongful Deaths
Selected Inquest Records from Nineteenth-Century Korea
University of Washington Press
Published on 1. February 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
280 pages
978-0-295-99313-3 (ISBN)
Description
This collection presents and analyzes inquest records that tell the stories of ordinary Korean people under the Choson court (1392-1910). Extending the study of this period, usually limited to elites, into the realm of everyday life, each inquest record includes a detailed postmortem examination and features testimony from everyone directly or indirectly related to the incident. The result is an amazingly vivid, colloquial account of the vibrant, multifaceted sociocultural and legal culture of early modern Korea.
Reviews / Votes
"[Wrongful Deaths] contributes significantly to our understanding of not only the inner workings of the criminal justice system but also the social, cultural, and economic contexts of the last century of the Choson dynasty (1392-1910). Thoughtfully compiled and translated by Sun Joo Kim and Jungwon Kim, the selected eight cases open a window onto familial and social relations and everyday struggles in nineteenth-century Korea. . . . [A] most welcome addition to the literature on the history of Choson Korea."- Jisoo M. Kim (Journal of Asian Studies)
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Seattle
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
7 illus., 1 map
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 151 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
381 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-295-99313-3 (9780295993133)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Wrongful Deaths
Selected Inquest Records from Nineteenth-Century Korea
E-Book
02/2014
1st Edition
University of Washington Press
€34.49
Available for download
Persons
Sun Joo Kim is the Harvard-Yenching Professor of Korean History at Harvard University. Jungwon Kim is assistant professor of Korean history at Columbia University.
Content
Acknowledgments
Translators' Notes
Map of Nineteenth-century Korea
Introduction Choson Korea in Its Last Century
Case 1 An Adulterous Widower Meets a Violent Death
Yang Hang-nyon (P'yongyang, P'yongan Province, 1866)
Case 2 A Family Activist Confronts a Local Magnate
Ms. Pak (Yongin, Kyonggi Province, Late Eighteenth Century)
Case 3 A Defiant Slave Challenges His Master with Death
Yi Pong-dol (Anui, Kyongsang Province, 1842)
Case 4 Two Widows Fight
Madam Chang and Ms. Un (Yech'on, Kyongsang Province, 1842)
Case 5 A Heartless Wet Nurse Abuses an Infant
Mun Chong-ji (Chunghwa, P'yongan Province, 1866)
Case 6 A Widower Seeks Private Settlement
Ms. Chong (Yongch'on, Kyongsang Province, 1889)
Case 7 Adultery Leads to Murder
Ms. Paek (Anak, Hwanghae Province, 1897)
Case 8 An Illegal Burial Begets a Son but Kills a Relative
Kim Kap-san (Hoeyang, Kangwon Province, 1899)
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Translators' Notes
Map of Nineteenth-century Korea
Introduction Choson Korea in Its Last Century
Case 1 An Adulterous Widower Meets a Violent Death
Yang Hang-nyon (P'yongyang, P'yongan Province, 1866)
Case 2 A Family Activist Confronts a Local Magnate
Ms. Pak (Yongin, Kyonggi Province, Late Eighteenth Century)
Case 3 A Defiant Slave Challenges His Master with Death
Yi Pong-dol (Anui, Kyongsang Province, 1842)
Case 4 Two Widows Fight
Madam Chang and Ms. Un (Yech'on, Kyongsang Province, 1842)
Case 5 A Heartless Wet Nurse Abuses an Infant
Mun Chong-ji (Chunghwa, P'yongan Province, 1866)
Case 6 A Widower Seeks Private Settlement
Ms. Chong (Yongch'on, Kyongsang Province, 1889)
Case 7 Adultery Leads to Murder
Ms. Paek (Anak, Hwanghae Province, 1897)
Case 8 An Illegal Burial Begets a Son but Kills a Relative
Kim Kap-san (Hoeyang, Kangwon Province, 1899)
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index