Lawyer known as the 'godfather of human rights lawyers', 8th president of Chosun University; pen name Beomha
| Life | 1922 ~ 2011 |
| Era | 현대 |
| Clan | 함평 이씨 |
Yi Don-myeong (1922-2011) was a Korean lawyer with the pen name Beomha. From Naju, South Jeolla, he is introduced as a descendant of the Champan-gong branch of the Hampyeong Yi. He graduated in political science from Chosun University in 1950, passed the third bar examination in 1952, and from 1963 worked as a civil-case lawyer.
He began the path of a human rights lawyer in 1974 when he approached lawyers Hwang In-cheol and Hong Seong-u, who were handling the Minchong Hakryeon case, and asked to join the defense. His first courtroom appearance as a lawyer was the 1975 Anti-Communist Law case of the poet Kim Ji-ha; he then defended in major political cases of the 1970s and 80s, including the March 1st Declaration for Democracy case, the cases of professors Lee Young-hee and Paik Nak-chung, the Dongil Textile and Wonpung Mobang cases, Kim Jae-gyu in the 10/26 case and the Bucheon police sexual torture case, and was called the godfather of human rights lawyers.
He served as the 8th president of Chosun University from 1988 to 1991 and held leading posts in the Association of Lawyers for Justice, Lawyers for a Democratic Society, the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice and the Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities. He died on 11 January 2011 aged 90.
Yi Don-myeong became a lawyer in the 1950s and long handled civil cases, then turned to defending political cases after the 1974 Minchong Hakryeon case. Beginning with Kim Ji-ha's Anti-Communist Law case, he joined defense teams in the representative political trials of the 1970s and 80s.
In 1986 he organized the Association of Lawyers for Justice, described as the first human rights lawyers' group in Korea, and in 1988 became the 8th president of Chosun University. He was the first chair of the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice in 1992 and chairman of the Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities in 1995.
His books include Don-myeong Grandfather and History Will Declare Them Innocent.
The location of his tomb was not confirmed.