Supreme Court Justice Nomination Listen to Local Judge Voice

The Supreme Court held a talking session with national judges at its grand meeting room in Seocho, Seoul on August 18th for the first time in its history.

Some 70 figures attended the session including 24 senior judges and 39 judges.

The attendees are the representatives of each level position in local courts in Seoul and nationwide. They delivered their own opinions about the nomination process of Supreme Court Justice to the highest orders of the Supreme Court.

At the session, Seoul local court`s senior judge Moon Hung-soo and Lee Yong-gu had a fierce discussion over the issue of judicial reformation.

But, in the process, Moon withdrew from the session saying, “ This meeting is not properly working.” He held a press conference in advance of the event saying, “In the case that the Supreme Court would not show any willingness towards reformation, I would withdraw from my position.”

We will have to wait and see, though, whether local judges will present their resignation in continuum with this event.

A host of the meeting Lee Gang-guk, the administrative director of the court said, “We will inform judges of our current situation and processes, and then receive their opinions.”

However, it implied that there would be no changes in its previous position that it will ask President Roh to nominate the Supreme Court Justice among three candidates previously recommended by the Chief Justice of Supreme Court to the Supreme Court Recommendation Committee.

Supreme Court Information Director Sohn Ji-ho said, “I think that the Supreme Court would not announce an overhaul in its previous recommendation.”

The Supreme Court plans to consider diverse opinions of local judges in the next year nomination and nominate an unexpected figure for the predecessor of the Constitutional Court after the incumbent Judge Han Dae-hyun finishes his job at the end of this month.

Jin-Young Hwang buddy@donga.com