Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae said on the 12th that "for the judiciary to fulfill its devoted mission, above all, the independence of trials must be firmly guaranteed."
In a commemorative address at the "11th Courts Day ceremony" held at the Supreme Court building in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the same day, Chief Justice Cho said of the "judicial reform" pursued by the Democratic Party of Korea, "We will seek the right path for all people with the constitutional values of separation of powers and judicial independence at the center." He added, "I ask that judges, without wavering in the face of any difficulty, trust only in the Constitution and approach trials with confidence and composure."
Chief Justice Cho said, "Amid the recent National Assembly discussions on improving the judicial system, we are making every effort to communicate in various ways with the National Assembly as well as with the government, the bar association, the law professors' association, and the media, and to create a forum for public discussion," adding, "Based on precedents in which the judiciary actively participated when major judicial system improvements were made in the past, the judiciary will fully present its views to the National Assembly and, where necessary, seek to persuade through explanation and communication."
He also expressed a different view from the Democratic Party of Korea, which introduced a bill to increase the number of Supreme Court justices. Chief Justice Cho said, "As judges are replenished, we will intensively assign judges to the first instance," and added, "We will establish dedicated trial panels to resolve at an early stage disputes that are directly tied to people's lives or require particularly swift handling."
Chief Justice Cho said, "Despite the judiciary's many efforts, we are well aware that we fall short of the public's expectations and standards, and we take seriously the public's recent concerned gaze toward the judiciary," adding, "We will constantly reflect on what the public expects from the judiciary and do our utmost to meet public trust."
Meanwhile, Courts Day commemorates Sept. 13, 1948. On that day, as Korea received the transfer of judicial power from the U.S. military government after independence, it regained judicial sovereignty and was able to conduct independent trials. Since 2015, the Supreme Court has held a ceremony to reflect on the meaning of judicial independence and the rule of law.