As judges express concerns over the ruling party's infringement on judicial independence related to the Supreme Court justice recommendation issue, attention is focused on whether related discussions will take place at the upcoming national judges' conference.
The Judges' Conference Operating Committee announced on December 7 at 10 a.m. it will hold a regular meeting at the Judicial Research and Training Institute in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province. The meeting will be conducted in a hybrid format, both online and in-person.
The national judges' conference is a body where elected judges from various courts gather to express opinions or make recommendations regarding judicial administration and judicial independence. The conference is held twice a year, in April and December.
Recently, discussions have emerged among judges on the internal court network regarding the Democratic Party's push for a national investigation into Chief Justice Jo Hee-dae and pressure for his resignation, raising interest in whether these issues will be addressed at the conference.
The agenda for the upcoming regular meeting has not yet been determined. Judges can propose agenda items on the internal community bulletin board, and the chairperson will present items with the agreement of four or more members by the 30th of this month. On the day of the meeting, other members can also request agenda items with the consent of nine members.
Some are calling for an immediate convening of the judges' conference, suggesting the possibility of an extraordinary meeting before the regular session. An extraordinary meeting can be convened if requested by one-fifth of the members or if deemed necessary by the chairperson of the judges' conference.
Nam Jun-woo, a presiding judge at the Seoul Rehabilitation Court, posted an article titled 'Silence Means Consent' on CourtNet, urging the judges' conference to hold an extraordinary meeting regarding the Supreme Court justice recommendation issue.
On October 30, Seong Chan-yong, a judge at the Incheon District Court's Bucheon branch, criticized the infringement on judicial independence by likening judicial reform to George Orwell's novel 'Animal Farm,' receiving supportive comments from judges at various levels.
Earlier, the judges' conference expressed concerns in April regarding the so-called 'three judicial laws.'
At that time, the judges' representatives expressed regret over the amendment of laws that could fundamentally change the judicial system without sufficient discussion, pointing out issues such as delays in dispute resolution due to the introduction of judicial petitions, the weakening of fact-finding due to an increase in Supreme Court justices, and the potential misuse of the crime of distorting the law.
Given that the judges' conference has officially expressed concerns about judicial reform, attention is now on whether they will reach a consensus on the issue of judicial independence this time.
However, it remains uncertain whether the judges' conference will arrive at an official position. In June of last year, during an extraordinary meeting regarding the Supreme Court's ruling on President Lee Jae-myung's violation of the Public Official Election Act, various agenda items related to judicial independence and trust in the judiciary were presented, but they were all rejected due to differing opinions among the judges' representatives.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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