National Judges' Representatives Conference to Convene on the 26th Amid Controversy Over Lee Jaemyung's Case Remand

Discussion on Judicial Trust and Independence

An extraordinary session of the National Judges' Representatives Conference, which will discuss the controversies surrounding the Supreme Court appeal proceedings in the public election law violation case involving Lee Jaemyung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, will be held on the 26th.

The Supreme Court building in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 9th, the National Judges' Representatives Conference announced that it would hold an extraordinary session at 10 a.m. on the 26th in Lecture Room 13 of the Judicial Research and Training Institute in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The meeting will be conducted both in-person and online.

The extraordinary session will address future agenda items related to concerns over judicial trust and possible infringements on judicial independence, which have been raised following the Supreme Court ruling on Lee's case. Agenda items that receive the consent of at least four members by May 19, seven days before the meeting, will be tabled for discussion. Additionally, agenda items can be proposed on the day of the meeting if nine other members agree.

Previously, the National Judges' Representatives Conference stated earlier that morning, "An extraordinary session will be convened as more than one-fifth of the members have requested it, citing the need to discuss and clarify our position on concerns regarding the political neutrality of the judiciary and the erosion of public trust in the judicial system." The statement also noted, "The specific schedule and venue will be finalized and announced at a later time."

The Judges' Representatives Conference is a body where representative judges elected from courts at all levels gather to express opinions or make recommendations regarding judicial administration and judicial independence. The conference can be convened at the discretion of the chairperson or at the request of at least one-fifth (26 members) of the representatives. An internal vote on whether to hold the meeting was conducted the previous day, but no conclusion was reached, so opinions were solicited until the morning of the 9th. The decision to convene the meeting was made after more than one-fifth of the members agreed.

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