Chief Justice Calls for Judicial Integrity

Supreme Court Chief Justice Lee Yong-hun on Friday called on the nation’s justices to provide higher quality legal services, saying, “Today, the nation’s legal system has an unprecedentedly high rate of appeals. This indicates that legal parties who bring forth lawsuits rely neither on trials nor verdicts from the court.”

In a chief justice meeting held at the Supreme Court Friday, Chief Justice Lee said, “Consequently, this trend shows that our legal system is not functioning properly.”

In addition, he pointed out, “It seems true that the courts are not positively viewed by the public and concerning parties as serving their roles, even though we have done our best to provide quality legal services. We need to reflect whether we have neglected our duty by thinking that our duty is to finish a case in charge.”

He also stressed, “Justices should reflect whether they focus on handling piles of cases or whether they seek to satisfy themselves with writing logical and self-fulfilling verdicts. In order to provide legal services that could satisfy the public, justices should remove the thought that their work is done when the case leaves their hands.”

wing@donga.com