Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae Emphasizes Judicial Independence Amidst Ruling Party's Reform Efforts… "Will Engage in Communication and Persuasion with the National Assembly"

Official Stance Expressed During 'Day of the Court' Commemoration Ceremony… "Taking the Public's Concerned Gaze Toward the Judiciary Seriously"

"Will Find the Right Path for the People" and "Judicial Independence Must Be Firmly Guaranteed"… Tells Judges to "Continue Trials Unwaveringly"

Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae delivers a commemorative address on the Day of the Court (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Hong Hae-in = Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae delivers a speech at the '2025 Republic of Korea Day of the Court' ceremony held at the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 12th. 2025.9.12 hihong@yna.co.kr

Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae (Judicial Research and Training Institute, 13th class) emphasized the value of "judicial independence," stating that during the National Assembly's legislative process for judicial reform, he would "ensure the judiciary's opinions are fully presented to the National Assembly and seek the right path for the people through communication and persuasion."

Chief Justice Cho expressed this position during the '11th Republic of Korea Day of the Court' ceremony held in the main hall on the second floor of the Supreme Court building on the morning of the 12th. This marks the first time the Chief Justice has officially addressed the issue since the Democratic Party's push for judicial reform legislation began in earnest.

He stated, "In the recent discussions surrounding the improvement of the judicial system, the judiciary is exerting its utmost efforts to formulate desirable measures that resolve public inconvenience and realize judicial justice, through multidimensional communication with the National Assembly, the government, the bar association, the law professor association, and the media, following sufficient review in the public sphere."

He further emphasized, "The judiciary will continue to place the constitutional values of the separation of powers and judicial independence at the center. Building on precedents where the judiciary actively participated in past major judicial reforms, we will fully present our opinions to the National Assembly," adding, "We will seek the right path for all citizens by persuading the necessary aspects through rational explanation and communication."

Amid growing anxiety within and outside the judiciary that the judiciary's voice is not being properly reflected in the current judicial reform being pushed primarily by the Democratic Party, this statement serves as a declaration of intent to ensure the judiciary's opinions are incorporated by citing historical precedents of participation in past reform discussions.

Since the 1990s, judicial reform discussions have been conducted in a format involving various stakeholders.

In the past, the Blue House, the Supreme Court, the National Assembly, and the administration, including the prosecution, discussed plans for judicial improvement through bodies such as the Judicial System Development Committee, the Judicial Reform Promotion Committee, the Judicial Reform Committee, and the Presidential Committee on Judicial Reform. These efforts led to outcomes such as the amendment of the Criminal Procedure Act, improvements to the detention system, the launch of law schools, the introduction of jury trials, and improvements to sentencing guidelines.

Key figures from the judiciary who participated in these efforts at the time included Lee Kwang-bum, current Chairman of the Board of LKB & Partners, Hong Seung-myun, former High Court Presiding Judge, and Kim Hyung-du, a current Justice of the Constitutional Court.

Chief Justice Cho also delivered a message to the judiciary itself.

He urged, "For the judiciary to fully complete its devoted mission, the independence of trials must be guaranteed above all else," adding, "I ask that you, the judges, remain unwavering in the face of any difficulties and approach trials with dignity and resolve, trusting only in the Constitution."

He further added, "I am taking the recent concerned gaze of the public toward our judiciary seriously. We will constantly reflect on what the public expects from the judiciary, make improvements, and do our utmost to live up to public trust."

Regarding the proposal to increase the number of Supreme Court Justices included in the Democratic Party's reform plan—which has sparked concerns about weakening lower courts—Chief Justice Cho emphasized strengthening first-instance courts following the increase in the number of judges under the amended Judges Act.

Chief Justice Cho stated, "As soon as judges are recruited, we will do our best to ensure that citizens can practically enjoy legal protection in the early stages of disputes by establishing and operating dedicated courts that can swiftly resolve disputes directly related to public life or those requiring urgent handling through the intensive assignment of judges to the first instance."

Chief Justice attending the Day of the Court ceremony (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Hong Hae-in = Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae and Supreme Court Justices are entering the '2025 Republic of Korea Day of the Court' ceremony held in the main hall of the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 12th. 2025.9.12 hihong@yna.co.kr

Furthermore, Chief Justice Cho noted that trends of improvement regarding the resolution of trial delays are becoming visible, and emphasized to the judicial members, "Furthermore, we must actively respond to the changes of the era and demonstrate creativity in our respective positions to forge a new image of the judiciary."

He also highlighted, "We are doing our best to improve personnel systems, such as appointing capable and qualified judges as chief judges of courts and appointing legal professionals with diverse values and broad experience as judges," adding, "We are also promoting various measures to prevent the mid-career resignation of mature, mid-level judges."

Chief Justice Cho declared, "We are doing our utmost to provide a higher level of judicial information services and convenient registration services through the launch of the 'next-generation electronic litigation system' and 'future registration system'," and added, "We will do our best to ensure that rights are guaranteed more quickly and efficiently in criminal judicial procedures by stably introducing criminal electronic litigation in the near future."

On this day, Minister of Court Administration Cheon Dae-yeop and chief judges from courts across the country are holding an extraordinary meeting of the National Court Presidents' Conference starting at 2 p.m. to discuss the agenda for judicial reform. Given that Minister Cheon had previously expressed concerns regarding the legislative process of judicial reform that excluded the judiciary, it is expected that the judiciary will consolidate its official position after collecting the opinions of judges nationwide.