Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo: "Do Not Fear Sharp Criticism from the Public"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo of the Supreme Court emphasized that "to gain the true trust of the people, a mature attitude is necessary, one that does not fear sharp criticism from the public but rather uses it as an opportunity for self-reflection."

On the 13th, at the commemorative ceremony held to mark the 7th 'Korea Courts Day,' Chief Justice Kim stated, "To uphold the constitutional value of judicial independence, we must earn the trust of the people through continuous self-reflection along with courage and a sense of mission for justice."

He particularly noted, "At times, the diverse voices of the people may cause confusion, and sometimes the sharp criticism from the public may feel as painful as broken shards of glass. However, to gain the true trust of the people, it is necessary to not fear this but to take it as an opportunity for self-reflection with a mature attitude."

He continued, "We must deeply understand and contemplate the hardships and urgency of life embedded in individual cases. At the end of that contemplation, we must confidently express sincere courage." He added, "The empathy and trust accumulated through this will become the source of our courage and sense of mission, further strengthening the protection of judicial independence."

Additionally, Chief Justice Kim mentioned the 'improvement of judicial appointment methods in line with the purpose of unified legal profession.' He said, "There are still many tasks remaining, such as improving judicial appointment methods that align with the purpose of unified legal profession, introducing electronic criminal litigation, and completing the next-generation electronic litigation system and future registration system. However, I am confident that the small seeds sown today for 'good trials' will one day grow into a large tree of public trust and bear fruitful results for judicial independence."

Meanwhile, since 2015, the Supreme Court has designated September 13th each year as Korea Courts Day. September 13th marks the day in 1948 when the Korean judiciary received judicial authority from the U.S. military government and the first Chief Justice, Kim Byung-ro, was inaugurated. Due to the spread of COVID-19, this year's ceremony was held online. During the ceremony, the Chief Justice awarded commendations to those who contributed to the development of the judiciary and the improvement of legal culture, including the late Lee Dae-yeon, former Chief Judge of the Seoul Western District Court, Jo Young-soo, court officer of the Seoul High Court, and Choi Jin-gi, court clerk of the Jeonju District Court.

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