The regular National Court Presidents' Conference, which gathers court presidents nationwide, will be held on the 5th, and the National Judges' Representatives Conference, a gathering of representatives from courts at all levels across the country, will be held on the 8th.
According to legal sources on the 3rd, the Supreme Court's National Court Administration will hold the regular National Court Presidents' Conference on the 5th to discuss measures including the establishment of a specialized bench for insurrection cases and the introduction of a crime of judicial distortion, which are being pushed by the Democratic Party of Korea. The National Court Presidents' Conference brings together high-ranking judges, including presidents of courts at all levels, the head of the Judicial Training Institute, and the head of the Judicial Policy Research Institute, and its regular meeting is held every December.
The National Court Administration recently asked each court president to "gather opinions from their judges," saying, "These bills have a significant impact on the judicial community, and careful review and public discussion are needed from the perspective of the basic principles of the Constitution, such as judicial independence, and the protection of the people's basic rights." It added, "The National Assembly's deliberations on the recent bills are moving quickly," and said, "We will replace the agenda items previously prepared for the court presidents' meeting with written discussion and make responses to the relevant legislation the subject of debate."
Recently, a bill to establish a specialized bench for insurrection cases, led by the Democratic Party, passed the bill review subcommittee of The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
The National Judges' Representatives Conference is scheduled on the 8th to discuss agenda items including changes to trial systems related to judicial system reform and changes to personnel and evaluation systems for judges. The National Judges' Representatives Conference is a gathering of representatives from courts at all levels that collects opinions on judicial administration, among other matters.
The National Judges' Representatives Conference is reportedly set to discuss whether to state its position on the "judicial reform plan," including the Democratic Party's push to revamp the judge personnel system and improve the appeals system. Two agenda items have been submitted for this meeting: a proposal to revamp the judge personnel system to reflect evaluations by the Korean Bar Association, an external body, in judges' performance ratings, and a proposal to improve the appeals system, including increasing the number of Supreme Court justices.
On the proposal to reflect the Korean Bar Association's evaluations in judges' ratings, some said, "It is not desirable for the system to be hastily revamped in line with short-term or political debate or temporary public opinion, and there are concerns it could undermine the fairness of trials and the stability of the judiciary."
On the push to improve the appeals system, including increasing the number of Supreme Court justices, opinions included, "Measures to strengthen fact-finding at the trial level need to be discussed together, and institutional improvements to the Supreme Court Justice Candidate Recommendation Committee are also needed to secure the democratic legitimacy of the Supreme Court's composition," and "Discussions on improving the appeals system must fully reflect not only the public's expectations and demands but also the views of the judges who conduct trials."
However, for a submitted agenda item to be announced as the official position of the judges' representatives' conference, it must be approved by a majority of the judge representatives attending the meeting.