Chief Judges Express Concerns Over Judicial Petition System Confusion... Call for Legal Revisions

At the National Chief Judges’ Meeting

Discussion on Follow-up Measures for the ‘Three Judicial Reform Bills’

On Judicial Distortion Crime: “Need for Measures to Protect Judges”

On March 12, chief judges from courts across the country expressed concerns about potential operational confusion arising from the implementation of the judicial petition system, which went into effect on this day. They agreed on the need to minimize negative side effects on the public by revising relevant laws and regulations. The judges also shared the view that protection and support measures are necessary for criminal judges in light of the introduction of the crime of judicial distortion.

The Supreme Court’s National Court Administration held a regular, closed-door meeting of chief judges in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, in the afternoon. The meeting was chaired by Kim Sicheol, Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute (19th graduating class), and was attended by 44 chief judges from courts at all levels nationwide.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Director Ki Woojong of the National Court Administration stated, “The passage of the three bills on judicial system reform is transforming the foundation of the judiciary. Please pool your wisdom so that the judiciary can regain public trust and establish substantive countermeasures.”

The main agenda items discussed at the meeting were follow-up measures for the judicial system reform and support measures for criminal judges in response to the introduction of the crime of judicial distortion.

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Regarding the judicial petition system, the National Court Administration explained, “Although the system has a significant impact on the lives of citizens and the overall judicial system, the meaning of the revised law is unclear and related laws have not been amended in tandem, raising concerns about possible confusion in judicial procedures and system operations.”

The discussions covered practical issues such as procedures for forwarding court records at the judicial petition stage, the method for submitting opinions from the judiciary, follow-up procedures for canceled trials when a petition is granted, and the validity of judgments already executed. The chief judges agreed on the need to minimize side effects through the revision of relevant statutes and consultation with related agencies.

With regard to the law to increase the number of Supreme Court justices from the current 14 to 26 by 2030, the necessity for changes in the composition and hearing methods of the Supreme Court panels, prevention of weakened fact-finding trials, and improvements to physical infrastructure such as court buildings were discussed. Measures such as appointing more judges, introducing a senior judge system, and expanding the number of judicial researchers were also considered.

Concerns were also raised that, with the implementation of the crime of judicial distortion, the number of external complaints and accusations against criminal judges may increase, which could worsen the trend of judges avoiding criminal cases. In response, the chief judges concurred that effective protection and support measures for criminal judges are necessary.

Specific measures discussed included increasing the budget for legal support related to job duties, establishing committees to protect judges, strengthening the protection of judges’ personal information, and preparing step-by-step support manuals for each stage of the trial. Additional support measures under consideration included giving priority assignment of judicial researchers, introducing specialist criminal judges, and increasing allowances for criminal case trials. The chief judges suggested that, based on the discussions, the National Court Administration should promptly prepare follow-up procedures and actively pursue coordination with external agencies.

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