Kim Sang-hwan, Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, stated on October 13 that efforts are underway to ensure the constitutional complaint system, introduced in March to enhance the protection of citizens' basic rights, is firmly established and its purpose fully realized.
In his opening remarks at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee audit, Kim emphasized, "Restoring rights when citizens' basic rights are violated aligns with the essential mission entrusted to the Constitutional Court, which aims to uphold the guarantee of these rights."
The court has explained that it is building and reviewing its overall infrastructure by securing personnel and budget to address the increasing number of cases, as well as completing the overhaul of information systems related to constitutional complaints and revising adjudication regulations.
He also noted that the restructured nine-member plenary court has focused on resolving backlog cases over the past year. Key rulings include decisions on provisions preventing the allocation of proportional representation seats, denying weekend attorney visits for pretrial detainees, prohibiting the use of multi-messages in union elections, banning political activities by university faculty unions, and addressing legislative inaction regarding the birth registration of foreign children.
Kim acknowledged, "We humbly accept that there are still shortcomings in meeting the expectations of citizens who have a constitutional right to a speedy trial," and emphasized, "We will continue to strive for prompt yet thorough judgments."
He also presented achievements in communication with the public and the dissemination of constitutional values. The number of individuals receiving constitutional education through the Constitutional Court Research Institute is expected to increase tenfold by the end of this year, from the previous annual range of 2,000 to 3,000 to 30,000. The target audience has also expanded from students and legal professionals to include military personnel and police officers. Additionally, the court is enhancing public services to ensure broader access to legal information and resources held in its library.
Kim stated, "I will deeply reflect on the valuable opinions expressed during the audit and actively incorporate them into the court's work, while humbly reviewing and improving any areas that need enhancement."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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