The 2019 edition of the Asian Yearbook of International Law is the Yearbook’s 25th volume. To commemorate this achievement, volume 25 begins with a personal reflection of the history of the Foundation for the Development of International Law in Asia (DILA) and its flagship publication, this Yearbook, by Kevin YL Tan who served as Editor-in-Chief of the Yearbook (volume 16 to volume 20) and is Adjunct Professor with the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore. This is followed by a “A Panoramic Review of the State Practice Section in the Asian Yearbook of International Law” by Professor Seryon Lee of Jeonbuk National University, Korea.
After these special contributions, the Yearbook is followed with five main articles; legal materials including a listing of the participation of Asian states in multilateral treaties and a description of the state practice of Asian states in the field of international law; along with a literature section featuring a book review and a bibliographic survey of materials dealing with international law in Asia; and finally a summary of the activities undertaken by DILA in the year 2019 which marked the 30th anniversary of DILA’s founding.
I Articles
The first main article is by Makoto Seta of Yokohama City University on “The Asian Contribution to the Development of International Law: Focusing on the ReCAAP.” Tran Viet Dung of Ho Chi Minh City University of Law follows with “Vietnam’s Experiences with International Investment Agreements Governance: Issues and Solutions.” Arron N. Honniball of the Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore examines “The Right of Access to Port and the Impact of Historic Fishing Rights.” Next, Ratna Juwita from the Department of Transboundary Legal Studies, Faculty of Law, University of Groningen writes on “The Amendment of Anti-Corruption Law in Indonesia: The Contribution to the Development of International Anti-Corruption Law.” Finally, Nguyen Thi Hong Yen of Hanoi Law University writes on the “Challenges in Ensuring the Rights of Vietnamese Migrant Workers in the Globalization Context – The Two Sides of the Development Process.”
II Legal Materials
The Yearbook from its inception was committed to providing scholars, practitioners, and students with a report on Asian state practice as its contribution to provide an understanding of how Asian states act within the international system and how international law is applied in their domestic legal systems. The Yearbook does this in two ways. First, it records the participation of Asian states in multilateral treaties; and second, it reports on the state practice of Asian states. A number of diligent scholars have provided the Yearbook with reports on the 2019 state practice of their respective countries.
1 Participation in Multilateral Treaties
Karin Arts of the International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam in The Hague, The Netherlands has compiled and edited the participation of Asian states in multilateral treaties for the 2019 calendar year.
2 State Practice of Asian States in the Field of International Law
The State Practice section of the Yearbook is intended to offer readers an outline and summary of the activities undertaken by Asian states that have a direct bearing on international law. The national correspondents, listed in the table of contents, have undertaken the responsibility to report on the state practice of their respective countries during the 2019 calendar year. Their submissions describe how these states are applying international law in their domestic legal systems and in their foreign relations.
Additionally, for this volume, Chang Hun Cho, Daehun Kim, and Min Jae Shin, who are third year graduate law students at Inha University Law School in Korea, report on the recent state practice of Korea involving human rights of the West Sea island residents; reparations for victims of forced labor; and COVID-19 benefits for foreign residents.
III Literature
1 Book Review
For this edition of the Yearbook, Seokwoo Lee, of the Board of Editors, gives his review of Maritime Legacies and the Law: Effective Legal Governance of WWI Wrecks (Edward Elgar, 2019) by Craig Forrest.
2 Bibliographic Survey
Sharad Sharma, a graduate of Handong International Law School in Pohang, Korea and licensed attorney (Washington, D.C.), prepared the bibliography which provides information on books, articles, notes, and other materials dealing with international law in Asia published in 2019.
IV DILA Activities
The 2019 edition of the Yearbook concludes with a report on the activities undertaken by DILA in the year 2019, namely the DILA 30th Anniversary International Conference and DILA Academy and Workshop that was held from October 15 to October 18 in Jakarta, Indonesia at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia and the Universitas Indonesia.
Seokwoo Lee
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Hee Eun Lee
Co-Editor-in-Chief