The National Judges Representative Conference on the 13th expressed the view that it is "regrettable" that the so-called "three judiciary laws (judicial distortion crime, retrial petition, and increase in Supreme Court justices)" were revised "without sufficient discussion," in connection with their implementation.
The National Judges Representative Conference held its first meeting of the year at the Judicial Research and Training Institute in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on the day and put forward an agenda to express its views on the three judiciary laws, approving the final draft of a statement by a majority of those present. The National Judges Representative Conference is a body in which representative judges elected from courts at all levels gather to express opinions or make recommendations on judicial administration and judicial independence.
In the statement released through this, the representatives said, "We fully recognize the need to restore trust in the judiciary and feel a heavy sense of responsibility," but added, "It is regrettable that laws that could lead to a fundamental overhaul of the judicial system were revised without broader and sufficient discussion."
It added, "We share the view that situations must not arise in which the right of the public to a prompt and fair trial is infringed due to delays in the final resolution of disputes caused by the retrial petition system, the weakening of fact-finding due to manpower shortages stemming from a rapid, large-scale increase in Supreme Court justices, and indiscriminate complaints and political abuse arising from the judicial distortion crime."
It continued, "In particular, we urge comprehensive measures to prevent the chilling of trials caused by unjust complaints against criminal court judges." It said that each subcommittee under the National Judges Representative Conference decided to actively study and discuss the problems of the revised laws, including the judicial distortion crime, and response measures.
Earlier, at the morning session, Gang Dong-won, Director General judge at the Seoul Family Court, was elected as the new chair. Cho Jeong-min, a Director General judge at the Bucheon Branch, was chosen as vice chair. The leadership term runs from the day through the next regular personnel appointment day.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de in a greeting on the day mentioned the burden within the courts regarding legislation for judicial reform. "As laws that change the foundation of the judicial system have recently gone into effect, I understand the concerns you judges must be feeling are great," Jo said, adding, "As chief justice, I feel a heavy responsibility for the situation that led to this outcome."