Information on New Supreme Court Justice Yang Seung-tae

About the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Yang Seung-tae.

He is known as a “master of administration” inside the court. He is very familiar with both judiciary and administration. In particular, as he has served in key positions of the Ministry of Court Administration, he has played a midwife to new legal proceedings such as the computerization of civil affairs and registration, and the intensive trial system. Working for the Seoul Central District Court, he had served the first senior director of the bankruptcy department and played a significant role in dealing with companies under legal management that have remarkably increased after the financial crisis in 1997.

On the practice of the government’s announcing the withdrawal of insolvent enterprises and the decision of placing them under legal management, Yang had put a brake on it, saying that is the court’s right.

When corruption related to companies under legal management is revealed, he has not hesitated to charge relevant people who took advantage of the money of those companies for use in slush funds.

When he was serving as the head of the Northern Branch of the Seoul District Court in 2001, he requested the Constitutional Court to consider that the civil law that stipulated a preference for males in succession to the title of head of household was unconstitutional.

Due to his passionate and friendly nature, he has a lot of admirers among the younger generation. For example, regarding the covenant under joint signature by young judges who supported him for Chief Justice in August 2003, he expressed his will to resign. He even has started a group of climbing devotees, and goes to the mountains every month nationwide with his staff.

Biographical information-

56 years old

Born in Busan

Graduated from College of Law, Seoul National University.

Passed the 12th Law Examination

Served a judge on the Seoul Civil District Court

Worked as a professor at the Judicial Research and Training Institute

Served a head of Litigation Affairs Department of Ministry of Court Administration

Served a head of Busan District Court

Served a deputy chief of Ministry of Court Administration

Myoung-Gun Lee gun43@donga.com jin0619@donga.com