Constitutional Court President Kim Sanghwan: "Will Work to Realize the Court Complaint System's Original Purpose" [2026 Parliamentary Audit]

Constitutional Court Audit on Oct. 13

Constitutional Court President Kim Sanghwan said on Oct. 13, "I will work to ensure that the court complaint system takes root stably with the public's trust and that its original purpose is fully realized."

Speaking at a parliamentary audit held that morning at the National Assembly in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Kim said, "When people's fundamental rights are violated, correcting the violation and restoring those rights in line with the Constitution's aim of protecting them is the Constitutional Court's essential mission."

Kim said, "Since the system was introduced, the Constitutional Court has built the necessary infrastructure to address the growing number of cases, including securing personnel and budget and overhauling its information systems related to court complaints. It has also thoroughly reviewed and improved its overall operations to ensure the system's smooth implementation and swift establishment, including by revising related adjudication rules."

Kim also emphasized the need to handle constitutional cases swiftly. He explained that when he took office in late July last year, the bench, which had been short of members for an extended period, was restored to its full complement of nine justices, and that since then, the court has focused on hearing and deciding its backlog of cases. He cited as major rulings cases involving a threshold provision related to the allocation of seats to proportional-representation lawmakers, the denial of weekend meetings with attorneys for pretrial detainees, and legislative inaction concerning birth registration for foreign children. "From the perspective of people who have a constitutional right to a speedy trial, there is still room for improvement," he said. "I will continue to do my utmost to deliver swift and thorough decisions."

After concluding his opening remarks, Kim left the hearing with the approval of Seo Youngkyo, chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. Constitutional Court Secretary General Son Inhyeok and others will answer questions from ruling and opposition lawmakers on the committee.

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