1958 (in force 1960) · Civil codes

Korean Civil Code

South Korea

The civil code of South Korea, which replaced the Japanese code that had applied in the colonial period.

Why it matters

It is a clear example of a legal borrowing that continued after independence: the new code was written with the Japanese and German codes in view.

Built on

1896 to 1898

Japanese Civil Code

Japan

kept the structure and much of the content of the Japanese code

1896 (in force 1900)

German Civil Code (BGB)

Germany

used the German code, directly and through the Japanese code

Went on to shape

No later text on this timeline is recorded as built on it.

Countries in the Legal Families Atlas

South Korea

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TheLawToKnow Tools’s timeline lists links of influence only where the borrowing is widely documented. Historians sometimes disagree about how much one text shaped another. It is an educational overview, not legal advice.