Judges' Representative Meeting to Formally Discuss Former Supreme Court Justice Kwon Soon-il's Advisory Role in Hwacheon Daeyu

Judicial Trust Subcommittee to Discuss 'Employment Restrictions for Retired Judges'
Former Chief Judge Kim Taegyu: "A Statement to Uncover the Truth Must Be Issued"

The National Judges' Representative Conference held in April last year. / Photo by National Judges' Representative Conference

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] The National Judges' Representatives Conference, composed of representatives of judges from courts nationwide, has decided to discuss the issue of employment restrictions for retired judges in light of the controversy surrounding former Supreme Court Justice Kwon Soon-il's advisory role at Hwacheon Daeyu.

The Judges' Representatives Conference, which has been sensitive to issues such as the past 'judicial scandal' and 'judge surveillance,' is drawing attention as to whether it will formally adopt the issue of former Justice Kwon's advisory activities at Hwacheon Daeyu as an agenda item for discussion, and whether it will issue a clear stance on the matter under the name of the conference through a resolution.

According to the legal community on the 6th, the National Judges' Representatives Conference held a meeting of the Judicial Trust Subcommittee the day before and decided to discuss the issue of employment restrictions for retired judges.

The agenda reportedly includes discussions on whether it was appropriate for former Justice Kwon to receive a large advisory fee after retirement from Hwacheon Daeyu, which appears in the lower court ruling on Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung's violation of the Public Official Election Act?a case that Kwon himself presided over during his tenure as a Supreme Court Justice?and to act as an advisor.

The subcommittee plans to decide whether to formally submit the issue related to employment restrictions for retired judges, including the controversy over former Justice Kwon's advisory role at Hwacheon Daeyu, as an official agenda item for the Judges' Representatives Conference after deliberation.

A representative of the Judges' Representatives Conference said, "It has not yet been adopted as a formal agenda item, and the subcommittee will decide whether to adopt the agenda."

Former Justice Kwon retired from the Supreme Court in September last year and became controversial for receiving a monthly advisory fee of 15 million won from Hwacheon Daeyu without registering as a lawyer.

Meanwhile, former Chief Judge Kim Tae-gyu harshly criticized the National Judges' Representatives Conference, which had not taken any special action regarding the current situation, in a post titled "Is the National Judges' Representatives Conference silent because the allegations against former Supreme Court Justice Kwon Soon-il are a 'good judicial deal'?" on his Facebook page on the 3rd.

In the post, he clearly listed the facts of the case and stated, "I am not sure if further evidence is needed to suspect a judicial deal involving former Justice Kwon. Of course, whether bribery charges apply should be clarified through investigation. However, the circumstances seem sufficient to suspect a judicial deal."

Former Chief Judge Kim pointed out, "The National Judges' Representatives Conference remains silent even in this situation. This is hard to understand compared to previous behavior. Serious doubts are being raised about the integrity of the Supreme Court's rulings. If former Justice Kwon received benefits linked to rulings, the judiciary should close its doors. Yet, the National Judges' Representatives Conference remains unmoved in this explosive incident."

He referred to former Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae and former Deputy Chief of the Court Administration Office Lim Jong-heon, who were involved in the past judicial scandal and brought to trial, saying that they were not burdened with the stigma of judicial deals to pursue personal gain but rather acted improperly while trying to establish the appellate court needed for citizens to receive swift trials.

Former Chief Judge Kim said, "Not a single won was added to their bank accounts. The National Judges' Representatives Conference is the organization that held meetings five or six times a year and frequently issued statements attacking such people. It is also the organization that raised its voice to impeach fellow judges over unclear suspicions and criticized judge surveillance just by checking publicly available records of judges at the prosecution."

He added, "The whole country is stirred up like a beehive because of Hwacheon Daeyu. The angry public wants to know the truth. And at the center of it is a former Supreme Court Justice. Naturally, the National Judges' Representatives Conference should at least issue a statement demanding the truth be revealed and, if necessary, call for a special prosecutor or a national audit. But they act as if watching a distant mountain. This leads to the perception that they are in cahoots."

Former Chief Judge Kim even used the expression "an organization dominated by the regime's Red Guards," repeatedly expressing dissatisfaction with the current political bias of the National Judges' Representatives Conference.

He said, "The opposing side rises instantly and attacks with all sorts of excuses even for minor mistakes, while our side is assumed to have acted with good intentions even when committing major wrongdoings. If our side does it, even judicial deals are considered 'good judicial deals.' Can the National Judges' Representatives Conference be free from such evaluations? That is why the National Judges' Representatives Conference is seen as an organization dominated by the regime's Red Guards. It is hard to see it as an organization of all judges maintaining fairness."

Former Chief Judge Kim also criticized the reality that ruling party lawmakers who are former judges and entered politics after voicing political opinions on social media during their judicial careers remain silent on the current situation.

He concluded, "Judicial independence and fairness in trials are at stake, yet ruling party lawmakers who are former judges?Choi Ki-sang, Lee Soo-jin, Lee Tan-hee, and others?who used to raise their voices as if to overturn the world, say nothing. It is puzzling."

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