Abstract
Seen from the perspective of modernization theory, the institutionalization of a universal and secular legal system is a characteristic feature of modern societies. However, it is evident that even in modern societies religious concepts are used for the legitimization of social order. In the context of modernization theory the author analyses social order in Korea and its transformation. In a simulaneous examination of the religious structure and support networks, the author argues that the institutionalization of a universal and secular legal system will necessarily conflict with the concept of li, the dominant mode of integration in pre-modern Korea.
