New High Court Justices Inaugurated

“I will devote myself to defending the cause of justice all the people long for, without any hesitation to go against unilateral trust and expectation from conservative or liberal groups which recommended me as a candidate for a justice of the Supreme Court.”

Jeon Su-an who was appointed as a second female Supreme Court justice after Supreme Court justice Kim Young-ran, announced her resolution as a Supreme Court justice with six-year term at an inauguration held at the Supreme court auditorium in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul on July 11. At the ceremony, five Supreme Court justices, including Lee Hong-hun, Park Il-hwan, Kim Neung-hwan, An Dae-hui and Jeon Su-an, were inaugurated together.

Supreme Court justice Jeon said through an inaugural address, “I would devote myself to the Supreme Court winning our people’s trust more than anything else. I sympathize with an indication that the people are not paying for public officials to be loyal to people they are beholden to, and I will keep in mind that what we have to hold on to is not loyalty, but justice.”

She said, “I hope that courts would open themselves to horizontal relations from exclusive and closed relations, breaking fixed ideas and customs.” And she pledged herself to gather her courage to convey voices from within and outside of courts to other Supreme Court justices and even to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, saying that Supreme Court justices should devote everything they have got to carrying out their duty as they have nothing to gain and lose.

Supreme Court Justice An Dae-hui announced in his inaugural address that he will try his best to become a judge who rules according to only laws and conscience, gaining his independence from power, the public opinion and the inside of courts.

Supreme Court Justice Lee Hong-hun said, “I will have deep interest in giving care to the weak and minority’s rights to live a human life. Supreme Court Justice Kim Neung-hwan expressed his aspiration, citing a Chinese law philosopher’s words, that the people do not expect judges to be perfect, but expect them to be honest, fair, frank and reasonable.

Supreme Court Justice Park Il-hwan emphasized that the Supreme Court could give good decisions only when various opinions are expressed through trials by a lower court.

After the new five Supreme Court justices are inaugurated, 12 out of 13 Supreme Court justices including the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Lee Young-hun (64, the 15th bar examination), have been inaugurated since the current administration took office. The average age of 13 Supreme Court justices has lowered from 57.8 to 54.7.

Tae-Hoon Lee jefflee@donga.com