Lee Gyunyong "Faithful and Prompt Trials, Restoring Public Trust Are Most Urgent"

Lee Gyun-yong, nominee for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (age 60, 16th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), on the 29th identified "realizing faithful and prompt trials" and "restoring public trust" as the most urgent tasks for the judiciary.

On the morning of the 29th, Lee Gyun-yong, the nominee for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, responded to questions from the press as he arrived at the confirmation hearing preparation office located in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

On the morning of the same day, while on his way to the office of the confirmation hearing preparation team located in the Oprunseu Building in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Lee met with reporters and said, "The challenges currently facing the judiciary are not problems that one person can solve alone; they require the collective effort of all members of our judiciary."

He continued, "Therefore, the most urgent matter is to unify and harmonize all members of our judiciary, establish a shared vision through consensus, and to invigorate judges and all members of the trial panels so that they can realize faithful and prompt trials. The key issue is how the judiciary can regain momentum, faithfully perform its fundamental functions, and earn the trust of the people. Because this is the most pressing matter, we are currently making every effort to devise solutions for it."

When asked about his thoughts on the pre-examination system for search warrants, which Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su has been promoting, he replied, "I believe the constitutional issues need to be examined more carefully, and since procedural issues have significant ripple effects on other institutions, we should fully consider the opinions of other institutions, engage in mutual discussions, and come up with a reasonable plan together."

On the same day, Lee also partially addressed the allegations that have surfaced since his nomination as Chief Justice.

When asked about the suspicion that he violated the Farmland Act and underreported his assets, he responded, "I believe I acted fully in accordance with the laws at the time, and I do not think I did anything wrong."

Regarding criticism about "gender sensitivity" related to a past second-instance trial where he reduced the sentence of a sex offender against a minor, he said, "I have seen the reports in the media as well, but I think it would be better to explain that step by step," avoiding a direct answer.

On the morning of the 29th, Lee Gyun-yong, the nominee for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, responded to questions from the press as he arrived at the confirmation hearing preparation office located in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

Earlier, when the controversy arose, Lee released a statement on the 27th along with examples of cases where he imposed harsher sentences in the second instance than in the first. At that time, he said, "Despite the fact that there are many rulings where strict judgments and sentences were imposed on violent crimes including sexual offenses in the past, it is regrettable that only some reduced sentences are being reported in the recent media. I ask that the entire body of rulings issued during my tenure as a judge be reviewed in a balanced manner."

He also stated, "In the appellate court, I have strived to impose appropriate sentences based on the belief that sentencing disparities in lower courts should be minimized and objective sentencing should be realized. In most cases, I respected the sentences imposed in the first instance, but after carefully reviewing sentencing factors, I sometimes imposed lighter sentences than those determined by the first instance depending on the circumstances."

When asked about the ongoing refusal by courts to accept third-party payment deposits related to forced mobilization, he replied, "I have not yet examined that matter in detail," and "I am thinking of seriously reviewing the issue that is causing problems."

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