What Does '2026Godan2' Mean?

Each civil or criminal case brought to trial is assigned a unique 'case number.' This case number is composed of the year of filing, a 'case code,' and a serial number indicating the order of acceptance. If you can identify just the Korean 'case code,' you can easily determine not only the type of case but also whether it is a retrial.

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Case codes are created by combining consonants and vowels according to specific rules. First, the consonant indicates the trial level: 'ㄱ' means first instance, 'ㄴ' indicates the appellate court (second instance), and 'ㄷ' stands for the Supreme Court (third instance). The vowel combined with the consonant signifies the type of case: civil cases use 'ㅏ', criminal cases use 'ㅗ', administrative litigation uses 'ㅜ', and family cases are denoted by 'ㅡ'.

In family cases, the order indicating trial level differs from the usual 'ㄱ·ㄴ·ㄷ' (first to third instance) of general civil or criminal cases. Instead, 'ㄷ·ㄹ·ㅁ' is used. Provisional disposition cases are marked as '카'.

The next parts, '단' and '합', refer to the composition of the judicial panel. '단' is added for single-judge trials, while '합' is used for panel trials with three judges. For retrial cases, '재' is added in front of the case code.

According to Article 20 of the Court Trial Work Processing Rules, the code letters for each case are determined by Supreme Court regulations, considering the nature of the case and the number of cases. The assignment of case codes is stipulated by Article 2(1) of the Supreme Court’s Regulation on the Assignment of Code Letters for Cases.

The court explains that this composition system is less about applying a uniform rule and more about considering the type, nature, and derivation of cases.

An official from the Court Administration Office said, "Besides the traditional methods, there are also unusual case codes. In such cases, we generally continue the practice of using a character from the case name itself as the code. For example, a rehabilitation case may have '회' at the beginning."

In practice, there are not only three-character codes such as '준재나' and '동버집,' but also complex four-character codes like '준재카담' and '준재가합.' A lawyer from Seocho-dong commented, "Sometimes it feels like case codes can be created infinitely. If you go as far as immediate appeals for adjudication applications, you may encounter unfamiliar codes."

Regarding the criteria for generating such unique codes, the Court Administration Office official explained, "Case codes have become increasingly detailed in response to the diversification of case types. Each division or office within the Court Administration Office responsible for the relevant case type and system examines the nature of the case, its consistency with existing systems, and identifiability before making amendments to the regulations and assigning the code." The official added, "In this process, procedural or functional elements sometimes combine with the basic case code, resulting in codes composed of multiple characters. As a result, the main attributes of the case are partially reflected, and certain rules emerge among similar types." For example, criminal application cases were once simply '초,' but later became subdivided into '초보' (bail), '초적' (writ of habeas corpus), and '초기' (other), among others.

Korean scholars specializing in Japanese law note that, given the similarities between Korean and Japanese legal terminology, it is possible that the case code system was also referenced from Japan.

The Japanese case code system was developed as the modern judicial system was established, but the systematic framework in use today is believed to have been put in place after World War II.

In Japanese civil cases, katakana is used. As cases progress from the first instance to the third, the flow is similar to the kana order (a-i-u-e-o sequence). △'wa' (ワ) is the code used for civil lawsuits at the district court (first instance), and although some say it originates from the Japanese word 'wa' (輪, meaning "circle") or 'wa' (和, meaning "reconciliation"), in reality, it was allocated for administrative convenience. △'ne' (ネ) is used for appellate cases at the high court (second instance), possibly deriving from the word 'ne' (練/ね, meaning "to appeal") or from a particular classification order. △'o' (オ) is used for appeals at the Supreme Court (third instance).

For Japanese criminal cases, hiragana is mainly used to distinguish them from civil cases. △'wa' (わ) is the case code for first instance criminal cases at the district court; while pronounced the same as the civil 'wa' (ワ), the hiragana form indicates a criminal case. △'u' (う) is used for appeals at the high court (second instance), and △'a' (あ) is used for Supreme Court (third instance) appeals.

Hong Taeseok, a professor at Wonkwang University Law School who lectures on Japanese law, explained, "When designing the initial Japanese codes, letters were assigned based on the 'i, ro, ha (いろは)' sequence or the 'a, i, u, e, o (あいうえお)' order, according to the importance or frequency of cases. To prevent duplication, civil, criminal, family, and juvenile cases were strictly separated. For ease of pronunciation, court clerks prioritized clear and easy-to-write characters when classifying documents."

Kim Jisoo, Legal Times Reporter

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