"Do Not Stop at Personal Success but Devote Yourself"... First-Generation Human Rights Lawyer Han Seungheon, Former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman, Passes Away (Comprehensive)

Han Seung-heon, an 88-year-old lawyer who was called the 'first-generation human rights lawyer' for defending numerous prisoners of conscience and political prisoners during the military regime era, passed away on the 20th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

"Do not stop at personal success, but dedicate yourself."

Han Seung-heon, the first-generation human rights lawyer and former Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection (88), who passed away on the 20th, never omitted this phrase in his various lectures during his lifetime.

Becoming a legal professional in South Korea is considered a representative path to success and personal advancement. His principle was that "lawyers should not stop at their own comfort or personal glory but truly dedicate themselves to the world."

In his 2018 book, Where Is the Rule of Law Heading?, he emphasized, "At the very least, lawyers, who pride themselves on being legal professionals and the highest intellectuals, must wisely judge which side to take when the interests of those in power conflict with the interests of the people."

He continued, "Lawyers should not be mere legal technicians or craftsmen. They must be intellectuals who adopt universal values as their standard of thought and pursue them. I hope lawyers become people who endure hardships and accept losses for justice, who do not shy away from risks that they could personally avoid." Regarding the ruling powers, he pointed out, "They must realize that the rule of law is an upward power-checking mechanism, not a top-down control. Especially, those in power should recognize that lecturing the people on law-abiding behavior contradicts the essence of the rule of law."

In a 2019 interview with the Seoul Bar Association magazine, he spoke about the title of human rights lawyer: "Since Article 1 of the Attorney-at-Law Act defines the lawyer's mission as defending human rights and realizing social justice, it is natural for lawyers to faithfully carry out this mission. It would be unnatural, like a soccer player who is good at kicking the ball or a swimmer who is good at swimming." He also mentioned that conflicts could arise between lawyers labeled as human rights lawyers and those without such titles.

Defended Mincheonghakryeon and Inhyukdang Cases... Founded 'Jeongbeophoe,' the Predecessor of Minbyun

Born in 1934 in Jinan-gun, Jeonbuk Province, he graduated from the Department of Political Science at Jeonbuk National University. He passed the 8th Judicial Examination in 1957 and began human rights lawyering in 1965 during the military regime. He handled several political cases such as the 'Dongbaekrim Spy Case' (1967), 'Mincheonghakryeon Case' (1974), 'Inhyukdang Case' (1975), 'Kim Dae-jung Conspiracy Fabrication Case' (1980), and 'President Roh Moo-hyun Impeachment Case' (2004).

He was imprisoned as an accomplice during the 1980 'Kim Dae-jung Conspiracy Fabrication Case.' In 1986, together with lawyers Hong Seong-woo and Cho Young-rae and others who shared the will for human rights lawyering, he founded the 'Jeong-ui Silcheon Beopjo-inhoe (Jeongbeophoe)' which became the foundation of the Democratic Lawyers Association (Minbyun). Minbyun was launched on May 28, 1988, with 51 members after the merger of Jeongbeophoe and the Young Lawyers Association (Cheongbyeon).

He served as Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection under the Kim Dae-jung administration and as Chairman of the Judicial Reform Promotion Committee during the Roh Moo-hyun administration. He was part of the legal team during former President Roh's impeachment. When Moon Jae-in was a presidential candidate, he also served as the head of the advisory committee for the election campaign's transition government. Additionally, he held positions such as legal advisor to the Korea Journalists Association, founding chairman of The Hankyoreh newspaper, advisor to the Constitutional Court, and legal advisor to the Kwanhun Club.

Despite his advanced age in his 80s, he did not hesitate to offer harsh criticism on social issues. Regarding the Sewol ferry disaster, he criticized, "The government's deregulation that seemed to exempt the captain from safety inspection responsibilities caused this incident," and added, "Behind every disaster lies the greed and corruption of individuals and groups." On the judicial administration abuse scandal, he said, "The court must reflect and present to the public a direction toward becoming a dignified judiciary," and criticized, "It seems the court thinks it is fine as long as this wind dies down a bit."

He also left behind various writings, including poetry and essays. While working as a prosecutor in 1961, he published his first poetry collection, Return of Man, and as a lawyer, he published Vagrancy in 1967. In 2016, he released the poetry collection White Voice. Believing that "lawyers also have a duty as recorders of history," he published A Lawyer's Confession and Testimony in 2009 and The Lawyer Who Became a Defendant in 2013.

In 2018, at the 70th anniversary event of the judiciary, he was awarded the Order of the Mugunghwa Medal for his dedication to guaranteeing the basic rights of the people and efforts toward judicial reform and the de-authoritarianization of the judiciary. His funeral was held at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.