Court Administration Chief Warns Supreme Court Expansion Bill Would Delay Trials and Undermine Public Rights

"Appeal Against Supreme Court Decisions Violates the Current Constitution"

Cheon Daeyeop, Director of the Court Administration Office (Supreme Court Justice), expressed concerns regarding the bills promoted by the Democratic Party of Korea to increase the number of Supreme Court Justices and to introduce the right to appeal Supreme Court decisions, stating that "such measures would ultimately be detrimental to the public."

Cheon Daeyeop, Director of the Court Administration Office. Yonhap News

Appearing before the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee on May 14, Cheon commented on the proposed amendment to the Court Organization Act, which was tabled that day. He stated, "If only the number of Supreme Court Justices is increased while the problem of trial delays remains severe, it would actually result in all cases being appealed to the Supreme Court, thereby further delaying the finalization of trials." The amendment to the Court Organization Act includes provisions to expand the number of Supreme Court Justices from 30 to a maximum of 100.

He continued, "Ultimately, the en banc panel would become virtually paralyzed, and as a result, its function of providing relief through thorough deliberation would also be crippled." He added, "I have serious concerns that if the number of Supreme Court Justices is increased uniformly without a meticulous investigation, it would bring significant disadvantages to the public."

Cheon also addressed the proposed amendment to the Constitutional Court Act, which would allow the filing of constitutional complaints against Supreme Court decisions. He stated, "It is interpreted as not being permitted under the current Constitution, and therefore it is contrary to constitutional provisions." He further explained, "Introducing the right to appeal Supreme Court decisions would, in effect, create a four-tier court system. If all cases must go through four levels of trial, only those who can afford to hire lawyers would be able to cope with the lengthy process, effort, and psychological stress, while those who cannot would face a widening gap between the rich and the poor, resulting in outcomes that are not beneficial to the public." He emphasized that these proposed amendments should be carefully and thoroughly reviewed through subcommittee discussions and public hearings of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

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