Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo: "Only Fair Trials Can Resolve Social Conflicts"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo urged members of the judiciary to maintain a strict and neutral stance. Given the concerns over escalating and deepening social conflicts, he emphasized the need for a principled attitude and asked them to be especially careful in their conduct and speech to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

In his New Year's address on the 3rd, Chief Justice Kim said, "We have tirelessly strived with a firm goal of realizing good trials for the people, and as a result, we have expanded the institutional foundation for good trials and strengthened it further." He asked everyone to continue to quietly and faithfully carry out their duties this year as well.

He particularly stressed, "Only fair trials by independent judges can resolve conflicts and lead society toward harmony and coexistence. This is the true meaning behind the people granting us judicial power and the source of judicial trust, which we must never forget even for a moment."

He also mentioned the long-term judge service system introduced this year, the expansion of single-judge jurisdiction in civil trials scheduled for next year, and the pilot implementation of the specialized judge system. Chief Justice Kim stated, "In the new year, we will wholeheartedly work to create conditions that allow legal professionals with diverse experience and sufficient qualifications to be appointed as judges," and emphasized, "We will do our best to establish a unified legal profession system suited to our circumstances."

He reiterated the importance of the first trial level. Chief Justice Kim said, "We can build public trust and consensus that rights can be adequately and promptly protected through the first trial alone," adding, "It is necessary to seriously consider and implement ways to make first-instance trials more substantial within the current conditions."

Finally, Chief Justice Kim said, "As we welcome the Year of the Tiger, a symbol of progressive spirit and bravery, members of the judiciary will move forward with greater vigor," and added, "We sincerely hope for warm encouragement and support so that the judiciary's efforts may bear fruit."

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