South Korea: Supreme Court chief justice vows to seek 'right path' to judicial reform

Seoul, Sep 12 Chief Justice of South Korea's Supreme Court Cho Hee-dae vowed Friday to seek the "right path" to judicial reform through sufficient discussions with the National Assembly as the ruling Democratic Party (DP) is set to pass a set of reform bills.

Cho made the remark during a ceremony marking Korean Court's Day, in his first public comments on the DP's push to reform the judiciary by more than doubling the number of Supreme Court justices, among other measures.

"I will fully present the judiciary's opinions to the National Assembly, and through communication and persuasion, seek the right path for the people," he said, adding the judiciary has recently been communicating with members of the legislature, government, academia and media to find the best ways to realise judicial justice.

"The judiciary will continue to fully present its opinions to the National Assembly based on past examples where the judiciary actively participated in improving key judicial systems, placing at the center the constitutional values of the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary," Cho said, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The judicial reform bills being pushed by the DP call for increasing the number of Supreme Court justices from the current 14 to 30, overhauling the recommendation process for Supreme Court justices and evaluation method for judges, expanding public access to lower-court rulings and introducing a preexamination system for search and seizure warrants.

The party has said it aims to pass the bills before the extended Chuseok holiday that begins October 3.

Cho stressed the importance of respecting the independence of the judiciary.

"In order for the judiciary to wholly fulfill its dedicated calling, the independence of trials must be firmly guaranteed above anything else," he said.

His remarks came shortly before heads of courts across the country held an extraordinary meeting to discuss their response to the ruling party's proposed reforms.

On his way to work, Cho told reporters he planned to listen to the opinions of judges through the meeting.

"As I always say, my wish is that there will be sufficient discussions through a public debate on the inherent functions of the judiciary, the reality of the current judiciary's manpower and what is most desirable for the people," he said.

During the meeting, the court leaders stressed that the judiciary's participation is essential in the ongoing parliamentary discussions on judicial reform.

"As judicial reform is an important responsibility of the judiciary for the people and a task of the times, it must be carried out with full consideration of its impact on the public and society at large," they said in a press release after the meeting.

"We believe this requires a process of extensive discussions, deliberation and public debate."

They also emphasized that judicial independence must be guaranteed to protect basic rights and uphold the rule of law.

The DP has also sought to establish a special court to rule on cases resulting from former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration in December.

During a press conference Thursday, President Lee Jae Myung balked at the Supreme Court's earlier opinion that such a court could be interpreted as unconstitutional.

"The Supreme Court is carrying out a comprehensive review" of the matter, Cho said.

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