Supreme Court to Expand 'Chief Judge Recommendation System' to All District Courts Nationwide Starting Next Year

Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo is delivering a greeting at the National Assembly audit on the Supreme Court held on October 4. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The 'Court Chief Candidate Recommendation System,' where judges directly recommend court chiefs, will be expanded to district courts nationwide starting next year.

According to the legal community on the 4th, Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su posted on the court's internal network on the 31st of last month, stating, "In many courts, the recommendation system has been smoothly implemented so far, and through this process, democratic judicial administration experience has been accumulated based on the autonomous participation and decision-making of affiliated judges." He announced plans to expand the system accordingly.

The Court Chief Candidate Recommendation System is a system where judges with over 22 years of legal experience and more than 10 years of judicial service, who have been recommended by their fellow judges, are selected as candidates for court chief. This system has been promoted by Chief Justice Kim to move away from the traditional method of judicial personnel appointments. From 2019 to this year, recommendations have been made 17 times across 13 district courts nationwide.

Next year, seven additional courts including Seoul Central District Court, Seoul Family Court, Chuncheon District Court, Cheongju District Court, Ulsan District Court, Changwon District Court, and Jeju District Court will also recommend court chief candidates. Excluding family courts in provincial areas and Incheon District Court, where the court chief's term is still ongoing, all 20 district courts nationwide will implement the recommendation system. Courts must notify the Supreme Court of the recommendation results by the 15th of next month after internal voting and other procedures.

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