With Supreme Court Justices Increased from 14 to 26, Judicial Reform Plan Announced... Public Discussion on the Constitutional Complaint System Kicks Off

President Lee Can Appoint a Total of 22 Justices, Including Those Whose Terms Expire Before His Term Ends

Conclusion After Public Discussion on 'Fourth Instance' Constitutional Complaint System... Jeong: "However High the Court, it is an Institution Under the Constitution"

Rep. Kim Byeong-gi in conversation with Leader Jeong Cheong-rae (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Ju-seong = Democratic Party Leader Jeong Cheong-rae and Floor Leader Kim Byeong-gi are in conversation at a rally to denounce People Power Party Leader Jang Dong-hyuk, held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 20th. 2025.10.20 utzza@yna.co.kr

The Democratic Party's Special Committee on Judicial Reform announced on the 20th its 'Judicial Reform Plan,' which includes increasing the number of Supreme Court Justices from the current 14 to 26.

If this plan is realized, the number of Supreme Court Justices, including the Chief Justice, will nearly double from 14.

Considering that 10 of the current Supreme Court Justices, including Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, will have their terms expire during President Lee Jae-myung's term, President Lee will be able to appoint a total of 22 Supreme Court Justices.

The Special Committee held a press conference at the National Assembly this afternoon to announce the judicial reform plan.

At the press conference, Leader Jeong Cheong-rae stated, "It has been revealed that the judiciary, which should maintain neutrality and adhere to procedures in all circumstances, intervened in the presidential election." He added, "Chief Justice Cho refused to be sworn in as a witness at the parliamentary audit and gave evasive answers. It is serious hypocrisy and a self-contradiction to judge the legality of others while not abiding by the law yourself."

Jeong argued, "Judicial reform is not about interfering with rulings, but about acting according to the Constitution, as guaranteed by the separation of powers." He continued, "Opposing judicial reform is no different from prioritizing political interests and making unjust rulings."

The judicial reform plan announced by the committee outlines five main pillars, including the increase in Supreme Court Justices, ▲ Diversifying the composition of the Supreme Court Justice Recommendation Committee ▲ Introducing a judicial evaluation system ▲ Expanding the disclosure of lower court rulings ▲ Introducing a pre-warrant review system for search and seizure.

In addition, Leader Jeong announced that they would also discuss the introduction of a 'constitutional complaint system' that would allow for a re-examination by the Constitutional Court of basic rights infringed upon by court rulings.

The Democratic Party's plan is to not include the constitutional complaint system, which effectively means introducing a 'fourth instance' system, in the Special Committee's judicial reform plan. Instead, they intend to engage in public discourse based on bills proposed by individual lawmakers.

Earlier, Leader Jeong stated at a supreme council meeting this morning, "It is not that [the constitutional complaint system] has been removed from the judicial reform plan, but rather from the Special Committee's plan. We intend to propose a bill based on the opinions of the party leadership."

Meanwhile, at the press conference of the Special Committee, Leader Jeong said regarding the constitutional complaint system, "'Even Mount Tai, however high, is a mountain under the sky.' No matter how high the court may be, it is an institution under the Constitution." He added, "Under the existing Constitutional Court Act, all citizens can file a suit for unconstitutionality, but rulings by courts are exceptionally excluded. We intend to open this up." Yonhap News