As the ruling party leads discussions on judicial reform, including adding Supreme Court justices and effectively introducing a four-tier appeals system, the Supreme Court said it would "deeply reflect on the high level of distrust toward the judiciary and listen to the voices of the people."
Chun Dae-yup, National Court Administration chief justice, said the same at the opening of the public hearing "Judicial system reform for the people: direction and tasks," held on the 9th at Cheongsim Hall in the Seoul Courts Complex in Seocho-dong, Seoul, saying, "We will once again examine, at the root, the public's access to justice."
Minister Chun first mentioned an international conference held in September on the theme of King Sejong. Chun said, "In 1443, King Sejong created Hangeul to return the power of letters and judicial power, monopolized by the intellectual and noble classes, to the people," adding, "This tradition should remain an important standard for our judiciary today."
Minister Chun also cited achievements of Korea's judicial system. Introducing the World Bank's 2017–2020 evaluation of national judiciaries based on the speed of justice and expense, Chun said, "Korea ranked first twice and second twice. In the most recent assessment, criminal trial speed ranks third in the world, and civil ranks seventh." Chun added, "Despite these indicators, public distrust in the judiciary remains high," and said, "The judiciary must strive to restore trust through deep reflection and self-examination."
Minister Chun explained that, based on this awareness of the problem, the public hearing is a forum to discuss "what reforms are most necessary and urgent from the perspective of the people, the sovereign users of the judicial system." Chun said, "Today and tomorrow, over three days, we will listen carefully to the valuable voices of experts from all fields and citizens," adding, "At this moment, I hope this becomes a process to find how to more robustly guarantee citizens' access to justice and the path our judiciary should take."
Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho said in congratulatory remarks that "the people must always be at the center of change," and noted that the government would take part in discussions on judicial system reform with an open attitude.
Minister Jung said, "While the judiciary has served as the foundation for the advancement of the rule of law by mediating conflicts and protecting rights, disputes have become more complex and the demand to protect the public's interests has diversified," adding, "As trials take longer, calls for swift and efficient trials are growing, and there is also criticism calling for more open procedures and greater participation by the parties." Jung said the agenda of this public hearing—strengthening fairness and transparency, expanding the public's participation in justice, and reinforcing human rights in the criminal justice system—"reflects public expectations and the demands of the times."
Jung also said, "When designing and operating the judicial system, we must above all view it from the people's perspective and focus on the improvements and changes the people demand," adding, "If we broadly gather public opinion and, based on social consensus, establish a 'judicial system with the people,' the rule of law will take firm root." Jung added that the Justice Ministry would also closely communicate with the judiciary and pool wisdom during the process of refining the judicial system.
On this first day of the public hearing, participants will assess the current state and problems of the trial system and discuss ways to strengthen fairness and transparency in justice. Main topics include improving evidence-collection procedures, expanding the scope of judgment disclosures, and increasing trial broadcasts. The hearing will also address ways to substantially broaden public participation in justice, such as establishing a labor court and expanding jury trials.
On the second day, the core agenda will be the protection of the people's human rights and reform of the appeal system. Alongside measures to strengthen human rights protections across the criminal process—including procedures for issuing search and seizure warrants, the pretrial detention system, and the system for requesting public prosecution—the hearing will also delve into reform of the appeal system, a recent focal point in judicial reform debates, and the issue of adding Supreme Court justices.
On the final day, a comprehensive discussion will be held with experts from various fields, including the legal community, academia and the media. The results of two days of discussions will be compiled, and participants will engage in focused debate on "which direction the judiciary of the Republic of Korea should take going forward."