The Korean Bar Association will hold a symposium to discuss ways to improve and expand the jury trial system, including whether to extend it beyond criminal cases to civil litigation to bolster public trust in the courts.
The association said April 29 it will co-host the “Symposium on Improving and Expanding Jury Trials” with Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-geun at 2 p.m. April 30 at the small auditorium of the National Assembly Library.
Organizers said the event reflects concerns that a court system centered on career judges can diverge from the public’s common perspective. They cited a rise in dismissals without full review, allegations of preferential treatment for former officials, and insufficient checks on judges as factors undermining confidence in the judiciary.
The symposium will review the performance and limits of jury trials now used in criminal cases and discuss how to improve the system at the prosecution and trial stages. It will also examine the need for, and specific ways to, expand the system to other areas such as civil trials.
Attorney Kim Yu-jeong, a member of the association’s medical human rights subcommittee, will deliver the first presentation on the current status of jury trials in criminal prosecutions and trials and possible improvements. She is expected to point to structural limits including low application rates, broad court discretion to exclude cases, and the advisory nature of jury verdicts.
Attorney Moon Jae-sik, also of the subcommittee, will present on the need for and approaches to introducing jury trials in civil cases and other proceedings. He plans to propose changes aimed at reflecting public views in collective disputes, punitive damages cases and lawsuits requiring specialized expertise.
A panel discussion will include attorneys Shin Hyun-ho and Park Ho-gyun, Hanyang University professor Song Ki-min, Incheon Family Court Judge Kim Jae-ho, and Jeong Myeong-won, chief prosecutor of the Gyeongju branch of the Daegu District Prosecutors Office.
The bar association said it expects the symposium to help build a framework for better incorporating public common sense into court procedures and to strengthen the judiciary’s democratic legitimacy and trust.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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