National Judges' Representative Meeting Discusses 'Judge Shortage' Issue... Politically Sensitive Agenda Not Raised

On the 12th at 10 a.m., Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su delivered a greeting at the 2021 1st National Judges' Representative Meeting held in a hybrid format both offline (Room 12, Judicial Research and Training Institute, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do) and online. Photo by National Judges' Representative Meeting

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The first National Judges' Representative Meeting convened this year concluded without placing politically sensitive issues such as Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo's false explanation controversy or the impeachment trial of former Busan High Court Chief Judge Im Seong-geun on the agenda.

At the 2021 first National Judges' Representative Meeting held from 10 a.m. on the 12th in a hybrid format (offline at the 12th lecture room of the Judicial Research and Training Institute in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, and online), Chief Judge Ham Seok-cheon (Seoul Western District Court, Judicial Research and Training Institute 25th class) was elected as chairperson, and Chief Judge Oh Yoon-kyung (Busan Eastern District Court, 33rd class) was elected as vice-chairperson.

In the afternoon, they discussed measures to alleviate the shortage of judges. The judge representatives decided to sufficiently collect opinions from judges of their respective courts and then reconvene the meeting to deliberate and resolve the agenda.

The National Judges' Meeting had previously discussed the prosecution's 'trial bench analysis document' as an agenda item during the disciplinary procedure against former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl in December last year.

Although it was expected that the impeachment trial of former Chief Judge Im would be discussed at this meeting, it was not placed on the agenda.

The Judges' Representative Meeting was established in 2017 in response to the judicial blacklist allegations to devise countermeasures. It was institutionalized in February 2018 and consists of 125 representative judges selected from courts at all levels.

Following the regular personnel reshuffle in February, the 2021 National Judges' Representative Meeting was formed with 125 judges elected from judges' meetings at various courts.

Considering the COVID-19 situation, a vote was held regarding the change of the meeting date and format. As a result, the meeting was held on the originally scheduled date?the second Monday of April?following the rules, and while the meeting was conducted via video conference, representatives wishing to attend offline were allowed to apply separately.

On the day of the meeting, 113 out of the total 125 judge representatives attended.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo, in his opening remarks before the meeting, urged, "Now, please pay attention not only to institutional improvements but also to ways to realize good trials under the current system," adding, "We must simultaneously pursue laying the foundation for good trials and realizing good trials within the current system."

He also evaluated, "Over the past three years, the Judges' Representative Meeting has taken root as a public forum where ordinary judges participate in judicial administration, and the resolutions of the meetings have served as a foundation for improving trial systems and judicial administration systems," calling it "an indispensable partner in realizing democratic and horizontal judicial administration."

He continued, "I hope the Judges' Representative Meeting becomes a warehouse of wisdom that draws out ideas related to good trials," and said, "If we gather the diverse experiences and creative ideas of numerous judges, I believe excellent results will emerge as a solid cornerstone for realizing good trials."

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