Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae said on the 22nd, "King Sejong's people-centered philosophy transcends time and is the judicial value we should pursue today."
Chief Justice Cho said this in his opening remarks at the "Sejong International Conference" that day. The Sejong International Conference is an international event hosted by the Supreme Court to shed light on King Sejong's spirit of the rule of law. Chief justices and justices from more than 10 countries, including Singapore, Japan, China, the Philippines, Australia, Greece, and Italy, as well as former and current presidents and judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), attended.
Chief Justice Cho said, "King Sejong, grounded in a people-centered philosophy and a spirit of caring for the people, strove tirelessly to realize a just and fair judiciary for the people." He added, "King Sejong did not treat the law as a tool of governance to strengthen royal authority, but as a normative foundation to improve the quality of people's lives and guarantee their rights."
Chief Justice Cho said, "King Sejong compiled a unified code so that no one would be punished for not knowing the law," and, "He kept clear records of criminal case-handling procedures to prevent grievances during investigation and trial and ensured that cases were not delayed for long periods." He went on to say, "By restricting torture and excessive punishments to enable fair and swift trials, he consistently practiced the value of respecting human rights across all areas of the judiciary."
When introducing the features of Hunminjeongeum, which Sejong created, Chief Justice Cho stepped down from the podium, stood in front of the presentation (PPT), and pointed to the letters as if giving a lecture. He said, "It is said that King Sejong created Hunminjeongeum out of pity for those who could not express their thoughts in writing and suffered injustices in criminal trials." He added, "King Sejong's spirit of respect for human beings is faithfully reflected in Korea's language and script."