The Democratic Party of Korea officially announced on the 12th that it would push forward with five major judicial reform tasks, including increasing the number of Supreme Court justices, before the Chuseok holiday. Despite unresolved preliminary issues such as consultations with the legal community and opposition parties and budget matters, the party stated it would pursue relevant legislation decisively while setting a timeline.
On the same day, the Democratic Party of Korea held the launch ceremony and the first meeting of the "People-Centered Judicial Reform Special Committee" in the National Assembly and finalized the five major judicial reform tasks.
Representative Jeong Cheong-rae attended the launch ceremony and reaffirmed the promise to complete the reform legislation before Chuseok. He emphasized, "We are starting the train of judicial reform. The most important thing is the golden time for reform. If we miss this period, we can lose both content and direction. Therefore, we will have a historical sense of mission to complete judicial reform before Chuseok, as we aim to do."
On this day, the special committee (Chairperson Baek Hye-ryun) confirmed five main agenda items to be pursued before Chuseok: ▲ increasing the number of Supreme Court justices ▲ improving the recommendation process for Supreme Court justices ▲ improving the judge evaluation system ▲ expanding the publication range of lower court rulings ▲ introducing preliminary hearings for search and seizure warrants. The special committee plans to hold a public hearing on the 19th and a national listening event on the 27th to gather public opinions and expert suggestions, after which they will propose legislation before Chuseok.
Commissioner Lee Geon-tae, a member of the special committee, met with reporters after the meeting and said, "Since time is limited, we decided to focus on the five agenda items," adding, "We will do our best to reach a conclusion on these five items before Chuseok."
In particular, some lawmakers reportedly formed a consensus regarding expanding the number of Supreme Court justices from the current 14 to 30. The Democratic Party previously processed a bill to increase the number from 14 to 30 in the Legislative and Judiciary Committee, shortly after the inauguration of President Lee Jae-myung, on June 4. The increase in the number of Supreme Court justices has been discussed previously as a measure to alleviate trial delays. This was also a campaign promise from President Lee.
However, the Democratic Party temporarily postponed legislative efforts. The People Power Party strongly condemned the intention to forcibly change the composition of the Supreme Court in a manner that would be unfavorable to President Lee regarding the "Supreme Court Justice Increase Act" and interpreted that public sentiment at the early stages of the government's launch indicated a need to focus on "livelihood issues." It seems that Chairman Jeong Cheong-rae reignited the party's pledge on "judicial reform" and solidified the stance to push it through.
The special committee plans to improve the recommendation process for Supreme Court justices to ensure diversity. This lawmaker stated, "Currently, although the recommendation process for Supreme Court justices is said to have proper format and procedures, transparency, and diversity, in practice, the people preferred by the Supreme Court Chief Justice are ultimately recommended. We will recruit in a way that ensures diversity."
The special committee has stated that it will swiftly propose legislation after holding public hearings and listening events, but there is a common opinion in the political arena that it will be difficult to process this before Chuseok. Although it is physically possible for the Democratic Party to handle it alone, the bill for increasing the number of Supreme Court justices faces opposition from the legal community and opposition parties, and it is intertwined with budget issues and public sentiment.
Kim Sang-hwan, the Constitutional Court Chief Justice appointed by President Lee, also stated during a previous confirmation hearing, "The most important aspect of redesigning the appeal system is the quantitative and qualitative expansion of the first-instance court that the public encounters first," and noted, "The increase in the number of Supreme Court justices should be approached cautiously."
Regarding the proposal by Democratic Party member Kim Yong-min, which is centered on increasing the number of Supreme Court justices to 30, the National Assembly Budget Office reported that "if the number of Supreme Court justices and Supreme Court secretaries is increased by 16 each, the additional financial requirement is estimated to be a total of 28.679 billion won ($28,679,000) over five years from 2027 to 2031 (an average of 5.736 billion won or $5,736,000 per year)."