On the 26th, representatives of judges nationwide will hold a meeting to gather opinions on violations of judicial independence. Earlier, some judges demanded a meeting, arguing that the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the Election Law violation case against Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, was problematic. However, the agenda for expressing opinions related to this matter was not presented. It is noted that if 10 people agree on site, it can be brought up as a proposal.
On the 20th, the National Judges' Conference announced in a notice sent to reporters that 'two agenda items for independent and fair trials will be presented at the meeting scheduled for the 26th.' The National Judges' Conference is an organization where judges from all levels of courts discuss judicial administration and make recommendations to the Chief Justice. According to internal regulations, a meeting is convened if more than one-fifth of the members request it.
The first agenda item for this meeting is to confirm that 'judicial independence must be an absolutely guaranteed value in a democratic state and to indicate that efforts will be made to uphold the fairness of trials and the democratic accountability of the judiciary.' The meeting will discuss monitoring the developments of this situation and analyzing its causes through the Judicial Trust and Judges' Ethics Subcommittee.
The second agenda item is to recognize seriously that 'the judicial trust underpinning judicial independence has been shaken.' The meeting will discuss whether to express deep concerns about the possibility that various responsibilities and institutional changes related to individual trials could infringe upon judicial independence.
The earlier claim by some judges regarding 'expressing regrets about the Supreme Court ruling related to candidate Lee Jae-myung' did not make it onto the meeting agenda. This is because it did not meet the agenda-setting requirements. The requirements are that, within seven days before the meeting, at least four members excluding the proposer must agree, or that the chair believes the discussion is necessary and presents it.
In this regard, the Judges' Conference stated, 'We have judged that it is inappropriate to express opinions regarding the appropriateness of individual trials and procedural progress related to the Supreme Court ruling that has become controversial this time.'
It is reported that there is considerable opinion within the courts that judges expressing opinions on court decisions itself contradicts judicial independence. Recently, the Democratic Party of Korea proposed a legal distortion crime targeting judges, and there is a widespread view that the situation where Director General Ji Gui-yeon of the Seoul Central District Court, who made a decision to cancel the arrest of former President Yoon Seok-yeol, is suspected of receiving entertainment at a room salon is interpreted as an improper shaking of the judiciary.