Chief Justice Kim Myung-su: "Judicial Administration Reform Is the Judiciary's Will and Determination"

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo has emphasized a comprehensive reform of the judicial administration structure. According to Chief Justice Kim, significant legal amendments must accompany this reform to ensure that judicial administration faithfully supports trials and refrains from interfering with them.

On the 11th, Chief Justice Kim released a commemorative address containing these remarks in celebration of the '6th Republic of Korea Court Day.' 'Republic of Korea Court Day' marks the restoration of judicial sovereignty in Korea and serves as a day to reflect on the true meaning of judicial independence and the judiciary's responsibilities. While the Supreme Court has traditionally held commemorative ceremonies at the Supreme Court building, this year’s event was not held due to the COVID-19 situation.

In his address, Chief Justice Kim stated, "The Supreme Court, as a collegial decision-making body, has already submitted to the National Assembly its opinions on amendments to the Court Organization Act, which include the establishment of the Judicial Administration Council, the abolition of the Court Administration Office, and the creation of the Court Affairs Office." He argued that a comprehensive reform of the judicial administration structure is impossible without such significant legal amendments. This process reflects the judiciary’s will and determination that judicial administration must fully focus on supporting trials and must not have room to interfere with them.

He also shared his thoughts on 'good trials.' Chief Justice Kim said, "Seeking improvements to the appellate system and considering the introduction of specialized courts are all aimed at ensuring good trials, and preparing for electronic litigation in criminal cases is no different."

He announced plans to rationally set the necessity, priority, and jurisdictional scope of specialized courts. For cases requiring specialized hearings, such as labor and maritime cases, he mentioned that the judiciary will carefully review the case characteristics, volume, and degree of specialized knowledge required.

In particular, Chief Justice Kim pointed out, "To support good trials, improvements to the court staff personnel system must be made alongside judicial system reforms." He criticized the exam-centered promotion system, saying it caused side effects where work capabilities could not be fully concentrated on trials during certain periods, and individuals faced considerable difficulties in the process. He emphasized, "Based on the introduction of a fair and objective substantive evaluation, we will abolish promotion by examination and create a personnel system where those who dedicate themselves to good trials are highly valued." Chief Justice Kim added, "Discussions are underway in the Court Staff Personnel System Improvement Subcommittee, and we will ensure that many opinions are gathered during this process."

Meanwhile, at the event, Presiding Judge Park Ju-young, Deputy Registrar An Kyung-hee, Deputy Police Officer Lee Hyung-joo, and Mediator Kwon Young-ha were recognized for their contributions to the development of the judiciary and received commendations from the Chief Justice.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.