ILA’s basic ideology is “to promote the study, clarification,
and development of both public and private international law and to further expand the understanding and respect for international law in the international community.” The ILA, along with a number of other special agencies with the UN, serves as an advisory body (“consultative statue”) as an international NGO.

The Korean Branch of the International Law Association was established on July 15, 1964, in Seoul and was approved as an official branch at the General Assembly of the International Law Association on August 22, 1964.

The ILA achieves its objectives primarily through the activities of the “International Committees.” One of the most important activities of the International Committees is holding a Biennial International Law Conference (General Assembly). In total, the ILA has held General Assembly meetings 77 times (the 77th Biennial General Assembly was held in Johannesburg, South Africa from August 7-11, 2016). The Biennial General Assembly plays a fundamental role as a forum to discuss the achievements of the activities of each International Committees and to formulate and adopt relevant international norms.

The ILA has become an important private academic organization that has had a significant impact on the formation and development of international norms by adoption the Hague Rules on Sea Transport, the Rules of International Commercial Arbitration, the Rules on State Jurisdiction Concerning Restricted Trade Practices, the Draft Treaty on State Exemption, the Draft Convention on the Protection of Cultural Heritage, and the New Delhi Declaration on the Principles of International Law on Sustainable Development.