Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae of the Supreme Court: "The main cause of trial delays is 'budget cuts'... Efforts for consultation with related agencies"

Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae of the Supreme Court stated on the 16th, "The reduction in the judiciary's budget coincides with a significant increase in long-term unresolved cases, making budget cuts a major cause of trial delays." He added, "We will continue to make greater efforts to secure the budget through ongoing consultations with related agencies."

Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae is delivering opening remarks at a judges' meeting held on the afternoon of the 16th at the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. (Photo by Yonhap News)

On the same day, Chief Justice Cho visited the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, to encourage the staff, saying, "In recent years, the judiciary's share of the national budget has decreased from 0.43% to 0.33%. This has not only increased the mental and economic suffering of the public but also adversely affected the national economy, international competitiveness, and the judiciary's international standing due to prolonged legal disputes."

Since his inauguration, Chief Justice Cho has consistently identified the judiciary's "trial delay" issue as a key agenda and has been pushing for institutional reforms to resolve it. He assigned experienced court presidents to handle long-term unresolved cases and extended the judges' duty rotation period from two years to three years. He also improved trial procedures, including optimizing judgment writing, mediation systems, and appraisal systems.

Nevertheless, the absolute number of judges remains insufficient, while the number of cases requiring hearings continues to increase, making the trial delay problem difficult to resolve.

Chief Justice Cho expressed regret, saying, "The public suffers greatly not only from the difficulties of litigation itself but also from the uncertainty caused by trial delays and the additional economic burdens that arise. Considering the past when our courts demonstrated world-class case processing speed, the current public suffering seems even greater."

However, he also emphasized, "The judiciary must fulfill its duties mandated by the constitution and the sovereign people under any circumstances." He added, "Even though resolving trial delays is urgent, we must not rely on convenient methods or systems that violate laws and principles. We must faithfully carry out fair and prompt trials solely based on the constitution and laws, honoring the mission entrusted by the people."

Starting with the Chungju Branch in March, Chief Justice Cho visited 35 courts nationwide over about two months, concluding with the Seoul High Court. This was to listen to and communicate with members of the judiciary.

A Supreme Court official stated, "We will actively reflect the opinions of judiciary members gathered during these visits in judicial administration, promptly improve requested matters, or prepare future improvement plans and inform the results."

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