Yang Seung-tae, Candidate for New Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

Mr. Yang Seung-tae has been constantly mentioned as a candidate for a justice of the Supreme Court both in and out of the court.

He is called the “master of administration” within the court, as he knows thoroughly both the judiciary and administration. Especially, he played an instrumental role in adopting new judicial procedures in important positions at the Office of Court Administration, including the concentrated hearing system and computerization of civil cases and registration.

As the first presiding judge of the bankruptcy department of the Seoul District Court, he dealt with many companies under legal management whose numbers mushroomed since the financial crisis in 1997.

He raised a dissenting voice against the government practice regarding decisions on liquidation, and legal management companies with poor financial status, saying those are “the authority of the court.” Furthermore, he filed a complaint with the prosecution with no exception when a corruption case was unveiled, like officials in charge of legal management of companies who created slush funds by secretly keeping money from the companies.

In 2001, when he was performing the responsibilities of head of the Seoul Northern District Court, he submitted an application of the Constitutional Court’s decision on constitutionality of a civil law provision which stipulated that males should be given priority in assuming the post of head of family.

In August 2003, as the vice president of the Office of Court Administration, he expressed his intention to resign, shocked by the young judges who circulated a compact under joint signature in opposition of the nomination of a justice of the Supreme Court. Such straightforward characteristics and friendly attitude earned him many faithful juniors following him.

He climbs mountains across the country every month with staff members of the court, as a member of the “Baekdu Daegan traversing club” which he organized.

△Fifty-six years old △Busan △College of Law at Seoul National University △The 12th Bar exam △judge of Seoul Civil District Court △professor of the Judicial Research and Training Center △head of the legal procedure department of the Office of Court Administration △presiding judge of the bankruptcy department of Seoul District Court △head of Busan District Court △vice president of the Office of Court Administration.

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