The National Judges Representative Conference held a three-hour forum on the 25th on "appellate system reform," including increasing the number of Supreme Court justices, which is being pushed by the Democratic Party of Korea.
The forum, hosted by the subcommittee on the trial system of the National Judges Representative Conference, was held in the Supreme Court conference room from 7 p.m. to 9:59 p.m. that day. The forum was also conducted online.
The committee said that day, "This forum was prepared to share the subcommittee's research to date on the 'plan to increase the number of Supreme Court justices' and the 'plan to improve the recommendation method for Supreme Court justices,' which are appellate-related issues among various judicial reform proposals currently under discussion, and to advance the discussion through broad debate among judges."
The Democratic Party of Korea is pushing a judicial reform plan to increase the number of Supreme Court justices from the current 14 to 26 over three years. It is also reviewing a plan to change the Supreme Court Justice Candidate Recommendation Committee from the current 10 members by removing the head of the National Court Administration and instead including the Constitutional Court Secretary-General, and adding two members from the Judges Representative Conference and local bar associations to increase the total to 12.
Presiding Judge Cho Jeong-min, chair of the subcommittee on the trial system, presided over the forum that day. After Judges Park Byung-min of the Tongyeong branch of the Changwon District Court and Kim Min-uk of the Chuncheon District Court presented on the forum's topic, Kim Joo-hyun, the second policy director of the Korean Bar Association, Lee Heon-hwan, Ajou University Law School professor (former chairperson of the Supreme Court special committee on appellate system reform), and Judge Yoo Hyun-young of the Yeoju branch of the Suwon District Court held designated discussions. Afterward, participants engaged in free discussion.
Presiding Judge Cho said that day, "As the pace of discussions on improving the appellate system has accelerated, we have moved up the seminar originally scheduled for Nov. to hold it earlier," adding, "Let us set aside the notion that we must reach a single conclusion today, and instead make this a time to listen to various views and freely express opinions." The Judges Representative Conference plans to release on the 26th what was discussed at the forum.
Earlier, the committee posted on the court's internal network a report summarizing prior discussions on "appellate system reform."
In its overall opinion in the report, the committee said, "The proposal to increase the number of Supreme Court justices, with the legislative intent of 'enhancing the thoroughness of appellate review,' has much to heed," adding, "Given the repeated debates over appellate reform, it is necessary to reflect on whether the public's rights are being adequately protected and whether the judiciary has conducted trials that earn the public's trust."
It continued, "Regarding the appellate reform plan, including whether to increase the number of Supreme Court justices, we hope that the courts, the National Assembly, the government, academia, and civic groups will form a consultative body and, through serious discussion and deliberation, design and pursue the appellate model that is most desirable for the people of Korea."