A Comparative Research of Library Law in Korea and Japan: Focusing on the Enactment and Revision Processes

Korea and Japan have been influenced by one another through various points in their respective histories. During ancient times and throughout the Middle Ages, many aspects of culture and modern civilisation were conveyed from China to Japan via Korea. This trend changed in the second half of the 19 th century, as Japan opened its ports to foreign trade, completely reforming its own society before Korea followed suit. The aspects of modern civilisation and culture were thus subsequently conveyed to Korea from Japan. Not unlike Western cultures of the time, Japan also engaged in a pursuit of imperialism that resulted in its subjugation of Korea during the Japanese occupation. After Korea regained its independence following the Second World War, Koreans rebuilt their country largely on the basis of the social system Japan had left behind. 70 years later, differences from the Japanese model may nevertheless be observed in various areas. Library legislation is no exception. This paper provides a comparison of Korean and Japanese library laws. The comparison and consideration of the enactment and revision processes of library legislation of both countries reveals how differences in legislation developed and provides an analysis of the implementation of these differences.