'Arrogant Tone' Gwangju Judge Under Scrutiny... "Court Trust Must Be Restored"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] It has been pointed out that courts in the Gwangju area should make efforts to conduct trials fairly and courteously.

On the 8th, Choi Kang-wook and So Byung-chul, members of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, urged the restoration of trust in the courts during the national audit held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, regarding the Gwangju District Court and High Court.

Rep. Choi cited the annual judge evaluations released by the Korean Bar Association, pointing out, "There are judges who have appeared in the bottom ranks four times until last year or have been selected for two consecutive years."

According to the Gwangju District Bar Association, five judges were selected as bottom-ranked judges each year over the past three years, receiving criticism for excessively restricting evidence submissions, showing prejudgment in trials, or using a high-handed tone.

Rep. Choi emphasized, "People often say self-deprecatingly that since trials have winners and losers, 50% inevitably criticize and dislike judges, but that is not true at all."

He added, "The trust in the courts greatly depends on how much judges listen to the parties' opinions, how much they conduct trials with personal consideration and courtesy. I hope this is kept in mind."

Rep. So questioned, "Even if the evaluations by the Korean Bar Association are not reflected in personnel decisions, do judges at least refer to them to see if trials are conducted at the public’s level?"

In response, Hwang Byung-ha, Chief Judge of the Gwangju High Court, said, "It is not easy to score and evaluate judges. It requires a lot of time and effort to fully understand the specific case details and evaluate whether the judge handled it properly or not."

He continued, "I understand that the Supreme Court is currently working to incorporate this into the system and will proceed through reasonable procedures."

The reduction of sentences in the August appellate trial for taxi drivers accused of kidnapping female passengers, sexually assaulting them, and illegally filming videos was also highlighted as going against public legal sentiment.

At that time, the 1st Criminal Division of the Gwangju High Court (Presiding Judge Lee Seung-chul) overturned the original sentence and sentenced taxi driver A (35), who was sentenced to 12 years in prison for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (special rape and filming using a camera), to 10 years in prison on appeal.

Also, B (24), who was sentenced to 4 years in prison for aiding and abetting the crime (aiding quasi-rape and abduction for sexual intercourse), was sentenced to 3 years in prison with a 4-year probation and released.

Rep. So introduced, "The difference in sentencing between the first and second trials is too significant. I saw some comments on articles, and there is a flood of intense criticism toward the courts that is hard to put into words."

Rep. So sharply stated, "Court chiefs and judges need to vividly understand what feelings the public has toward court trials."

He added, "I understand that the court’s policy is to maintain the sentence given in the first trial in appellate or higher courts unless there are special reasons."

Chief Judge Hwang replied, "Cases that the public finds unsatisfactory and inappropriate keep emerging. We will continue to work to reduce their number and make rulings that align with the public’s will and opinions."

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