Supreme Court Announces 153 New Judge Candidates... Record 32 Former Prosecutors Included

The Supreme Court announced on August 25 that a total of 153 candidates passed the final review of the Judicial Personnel Committee in this year’s general appointment process for judges with legal experience.

Supreme Court, Seocho-gu, Seoul.

Among those eligible for appointment, 132 individuals (86.3%) are graduates of law schools, significantly outnumbering the 21 Judicial Research and Training Institute graduates (13.7%). There are more women, with 81 (52.9%), than men, with 72 (47.1%).

By previous occupation, attorneys affiliated with law firms accounted for the largest group with 68 individuals. Notably, the number of former prosecutors reached a record high of 32, more than doubling last year's figure of 14. Additionally, 16 public defenders, 15 in-house counsels, 15 from national or public institutions, and 7 judicial researchers also successfully passed the final review.

The general appointment of judges with legal experience is open to those with at least five years of legal experience. The selection process includes a legal document writing assessment, document screening, document review by the Judicial Personnel Committee, practical skills interview, personality test, legal experience and personality competency interview, interim review by the Judicial Personnel Committee, various inquiries and verification procedures involving the presiding judges and heads of affiliated organizations, and a final in-depth interview.

To enhance the transparency of the judicial appointment process and strengthen public trust in newly appointed judges, the Supreme Court will release the list of candidates who passed the final review and are subject to appointment approval on the official website of the Courts of Korea and the judicial appointment website.

However, opinions submitted in the form of anonymous letters or petitions that are not based on specific facts or evidence, or cases where the submission of opinions is intentionally made public to unfairly influence the appointment process, may not be considered.

The Supreme Court Justices’ meeting for final appointment approval is scheduled to be held in mid-September. If there are any opinions submitted regarding a candidate’s qualifications as a judge, the decision on appointment approval will be made after comprehensively considering the review details along with the existing appointment review materials.

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