'Judicial Farming' Lim Jong-heon Requests Kim Myung-soo, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, as Witness... Court Holds Decision

Im Jong-heon, former Deputy Director of the Judicial Administration Office Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Former Deputy Director of the Court Administration Office, Im Jongheon, who was indicted on suspicion of abuse of judicial administrative power, has requested Chief Justice Kim Myungsoo of the Supreme Court as a witness in his criminal trial.

On the 28th, at the continuation of the trial held at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 36 (Presiding Judge Yoon Jongseop), Im's defense attorney stated, "The purpose of witness examination is to verify the fairness of the trial," and applied to call Chief Justice Kim as a witness. The defense argued, "The presiding judge emphasized the fairness of the trial in court, and since there are aspects that conflict with the judge's statements, it is necessary to verify with witness Kim Myungsoo as well as others."

Previously, Im's side claimed that Presiding Judge Yoon Jongseop allegedly stated during a meeting with other senior judges and Chief Justice Kim Myungsoo in October 2017, "The truth of the (judicial scandal) must be uncovered, and those involved must be punished." Im argued that if this suspicion is true, it could be seen as a violation of trial fairness and requested the recusal of the trial panel, but it was not accepted. They also requested a fact inquiry from the Supreme Court through the Seoul Bar Association but received a reply stating "it is difficult to respond."

The prosecution commented on the defense's witness request, saying, "The defense's evidence application is unrelated to the charges in this case," and requested that both the witness application and the fact inquiry request be dismissed. The court has not yet decided whether to accept Im's fact inquiry and witness application and has postponed the decision for the time being.

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