All 2,946 Court Divisions Nationwide Open Video Courtrooms... Parties and Representatives Enter via Internet Access Links

Example of video court proceeding. Photo by Supreme Court Judicial Administration Office

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The court has established cyber video courtrooms in all trial divisions nationwide to enhance trial convenience and ensure thorough hearings.

On the 30th, the Supreme Court's Court Administration Office announced that it had set up 2,946 cyber video courtrooms in all trial divisions across the country as of the previous day.

Video trials refer to proceedings where parties, witnesses, and experts participate in the process through video conferencing equipment without physically appearing in court.

In civil trials, since 2016, a video examination system has been introduced allowing witness or expert questioning via video or other relay devices.

In criminal trials, in cases such as sexual offenses against children and adolescents where it is deemed difficult for witnesses to testify face-to-face with the defendant, the witness examination procedure can be conducted via video trial methods.

In June of last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic intensified, the court amended the Civil Procedure Rules to provide a legal basis for conducting preparatory hearings and procedural consultations through video trials.

The decision to proceed with video trial procedures is made by the trial division considering all relevant circumstances.

At the 12th regular meeting of the Judicial Administration Advisory Council held on the 11th of last month, after discussing the agenda item "Expansion and Measures of Video Trials," it was decided to establish trial division-specific "video courtrooms" that all trial divisions at various court levels can freely use upon program access.

Additionally, in response to feedback that the existing video trial program's access method was inconvenient due to complicated password inputs, improvements were made so that judges and other trial division members can enter the video courtroom using their Court Net accounts, while parties or their representatives can join by clicking an internet access link provided by the trial division.

Kim Hyung-doo, Deputy Director of the Court Administration Office, stated in the "Notice on Establishing Trial Division-Specific Video Courtrooms" posted on Court Net the previous afternoon, "We plan to actively support the expansion of equipment in courts nationwide so that all trial divisions can be equipped with necessary devices such as webcams, microphones, and speakers for video trials."

With the full-scale expansion of video trials, it is expected that trials can be conducted without spatial constraints of court buildings, securing sufficient trial time, thereby increasing attendance rates of witnesses and experts and contributing to thorough fact-finding trials.

A court official stated, "In line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution era, we will continue to make efforts to minimize public inconvenience and enhance trust in the judiciary by actively incorporating information and communication technology into trial procedures."

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