Expansion of 'Yeongsang Jaepan' for 17 Months Surpasses 10,000 Cases... Used for Testimonies in Sexual Crime Victim Statements and More

Video Trials on Islands Including Baengnyeongdo... Expansion Planned to Heuksando and Others

The number of video trials, which expanded due to the spread of COVID-19, has exceeded 10,000 cases in about 17 months.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Court Administration Office announced on the 24th that the video trials, which have been expanded since November 2021, recorded 10,114 cases as of the 20th of this month.

The courts conduct video trials for civil litigation including preparation hearings, trial hearings, examination hearings, witness examinations, party examinations, expert examinations, statements of professional psychological committee opinions, and mediation hearings. In criminal cases, video trials are conducted only for trial preparation hearings, procedures for notifying the reasons for detention to the defendant, witness examinations, and expert examinations.

In particular, video trials have received positive evaluations for their use in witness examinations of minor victims of sexual violence who require personal protection. The courts conduct video witness examinations so that minor victims of sexual crimes can testify with the support of psychological experts without facing the perpetrator directly.

Additionally, video trials are utilized even in remote island areas far from the jurisdictional courts. To facilitate the participation of citizens residing in island areas such as Baengnyeongdo in trial procedures, relay facilities for video trials have been installed and operated in public offices within the island areas. The courts plan to expand video trials to other islands such as Heuksando in the future.

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