introduction

Part 1: Crimes against personal interests
Part 2: Crimes against Social Interests
Part 3 Crimes against National Interests

Preface to the 14th Edition

With each new edition of this book, the authors have strived to reflect timely revisions to the criminal law and major special criminal laws, as well as case law.
The 14th edition also supplements the major revisions to criminal laws and important precedents made over the two years since the 13th edition. The key contents are as follows.

First, in order to strengthen the protection of infants, who are socially vulnerable and have no or significantly weak ability to resist, from crime, the relevant part was deleted, reflecting the amendment to the Criminal Act on August 8, 2023 (Act No. 19582), which abolished the crimes of infanticide and infant abandonment.
Additionally, the crimes of public intimidation and possession of a weapon in a public place, which were newly established in March and April of this year, respectively, were added.

Second, important precedents, such as decisions by the full bench of the Supreme Court handed down after January 2023, were added.
The Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that the “assault or threat” in the crime of sexual assault should be viewed as exercising unlawful physical force against the other party’s body or notifying the other party of harm that is generally likely to cause fear.
9. 21.
2018do13877 Full Bench Decision, Supreme Court 2025. Even if the execution of special rape as defined in the Sexual Violence Punishment Act was attempted but ended in an attempt, if the victim was injured as a result, the crime of special rape resulting in bodily harm is established, but the attempted crime of special rape resulting in bodily harm is not established.
3. 20.
2023do10405 Full Bench Decision, Supreme Court 2024, applying Article 16 of the Criminal Act to the error regarding the legality of official performance in the crime of obstruction of official performance.
7. 25.
The Constitutional Court ruled in 2023do16951 that the provisions on kinship etiquette, which stipulate exemption from punishment, were unconstitutional.
6. 27.
Decision 2020 Heonma 468, etc. are examples of this.
This book contains important judgments handed down through June 2025.
In addition, the Dobbs decision (2022) was introduced, which overturned the Roe decision, which ruled that abortion was a right under the U.S. federal constitution, and declared that “the federal constitution does not grant the right to abortion.”

The authors plan to continuously improve this book so that it will serve as a guide for students in their study of criminal law, a valuable reference for practitioners, and a contribution to the advancement of Korean criminal law.

Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Chairman Jong-man Ahn of Park Young-sa, who has continued to publish the first to the 14th edition of Criminal Law despite difficult circumstances.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Director Cho Seong-ho, who was responsible for the production of this book, and Director Kim Seon-min, who edited it and completed it successfully.

July 2025
Jang Young-min, Kang Dong-beom