Gwangju District Court, Highest Deposit Forfeiture to the Treasury This Year Following Last Year

Top 5 Ranking Among 159 Courts Nationwide Over the Past 4 Years
Assemblyman So Byeong-cheol: "We Must Actively Protect Citizens' Property Rights"

[Suncheon=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] As the amount of court deposit funds forfeited to the national treasury surpassed 100 billion won, it was revealed that among 159 courts nationwide, Gwangju District Court recorded the highest number of forfeiture cases for the second consecutive year.

According to the status of court deposit funds forfeited to the national treasury by each court over the past five years (2017-2021), submitted by the Supreme Court to Assemblyman So Byung-chul (Suncheon, Gwangyang, Gokseong, Gurye Gap, Judiciary Committee) on the 8th, Gwangju District Court recorded 2,666 forfeiture cases last year and 2,286 cases this year, maintaining its unfortunate distinction as the court with the highest number of forfeiture cases nationwide.

Gwangju District Court ranked second nationwide in 2019 with 2,318 cases, sixth in 2018 with 1,447 cases, and fourth in 2017 with 2,073 cases, effectively placing within the top five over the past five years except for 2018.

In response, Gwangju District Court stated that it actively sends quarterly notices to rights holders regarding the disbursement and recovery claims of deposit funds, and that efforts such as posting lists of cases scheduled for forfeiture on the Supreme Court website have significantly reduced the number and amount of forfeitures this year compared to last year.

Assemblyman So said, “It is difficult to understand why a court, which should set an example in protecting the rights and interests of the people more than any other institution, is neglecting the protection of citizens’ property rights,” and added, “If posting on the Supreme Court website or sending notices has not been effective, it is necessary to devise new methods to more actively inform rights holders, such as commissioning external agencies.”

Assemblyman So Byung-chul also pointed out during a previous Supreme Court budget review that the amount of court deposit funds forfeited to the national treasury has exceeded 100 billion won, emphasizing that even small amounts are significant to citizens, and urged the establishment of groundbreaking measures such as allowing multiple refund accounts to be registered.

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