The Supreme Court said on the 2nd that it appointed attorneys Kim Byung-ju, Kim Shin and Yoon Sang-ho as new dedicated judges.
Dedicated judges are selected from legal professionals with at least 20 years of experience and are assigned cases closely tied to people's daily lives for hearings and trials. The Supreme Court has appointed 36 dedicated judges from 2013 through this year. Last year, it expanded recruitment for the first time beyond civil cases, and this year it also appointed two in the criminal field.
Their placements and assigned cases have also been finalized. Dedicated judges Kim Shin and Yoon Sang-ho will each handle single-judge criminal cases, including formal trial requests, at the Seoul Southern District Court and the Suwon District Court. Dedicated judge Kim Byung-ju will be stationed at the Seoul Central District Court to preside over single-judge civil trials.
They will undergo training at the Judicial Research and Training Institute through the 20th and will be assigned to courts nationwide starting on the 23rd. Chief Justice Jo Hee-de, at the appointment ceremony that day, said, "Please work to ensure trials that earn the public's trust while communicating with the people."