LL.M. Professors Lecture in Korea

This is a repost of a blog written by Professor Susan Schneider. You may view the original post here.

From June 15-21, Professors Christopher Kelley and Susan Schneider visited Korea on a trip sponsored by Yeungnam University Law School in Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea.

We are proud to have a University of Arkansas alumnus serving as Dean of the YU Law School. Dean Taehuan Keum received his LL.M. in Agricultural & Food Law from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 2011.

In 2013, the University of Arkansas School of Law signed a cooperative agreement with YU Law School, and Professors Kelley and Schneider's trip was our first coordinated visit, followed closely by a visit to Fayetteville by two Korean law students and a YU Professor.

Korea’s educational system only moved to adopt a U.S. style professional law school system in 2007. In a highly competitive environment, the government selected only 25 universities to offer the new law programs. YU was one of those selected and built a beautiful new law school building to house its law program.

Dean Keum shepherded the new program successfully through its first formal evaluation assessing its curriculum, faculty, facilities, and endowments. YU was pleased to receive excellent scores on this evaluation.

Dean Keum is also responsible for founding the Institute of Agricultural & Food Law at YU, and he now serves as its Director.

The Institute is based on the principle that the development of agriculture should be accompanied by the development of agricultural law. This Institute will consider how agricultural law supports and directs agricultural policy and how agriculture law is intertwined with food law. Its goal is to be at the center of  agricultural and food law in Korea.

Professors Kelley and Schneider’s visit to Korea included an invitation to speak at the Institute’s inaugural symposium, Conservation and Conversion of Farm Land from the Public Interest Perspective.

Professor Kelley delivered a lecture on conservation programs and sustainability challenges in U.S. agriculture, and Professor Schneider spoke on sustainability in agricultural practices and the role of agricultural law.

Throughout the trip, the professors were treated to traditional Korean cuisine and given lessons in the rich food culture of this beautiful country.

Dean Keum, his family, and the faculty at YU were gracious hosts. Dean Keum also arranged for meetings and an opportunity to lecture at Seoul National University, Dean Keum’s alma mater and a meeting with senior professors and the SNU Law School Dean.

It was a very productive trip, with the opportunity for the exchange of ideas on food systems, agricultural production, and legal culture.  And, it was an amazing opportunity to witness first hand the important work of one of our international LL.M. alumni.

Appreciation is extended to Dean Keum for this opportunity.