Supreme Court justices to increase from 14 to 30—Bill to gradually add four per year over four years passes Legislation and Judiciary Committee
Judicial Administration Office: “This would fundamentally alter Korea’s judicial system… Requires careful review”
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Cho Hee-dae expressed hope for the establishment of a public forum regarding the “Supreme Court Justice Expansion Bill” currently being advanced in the National Assembly by the Democratic Party of Korea.
On the morning of June 5, when asked about the court’s plans to submit an opinion regarding the bill, which passed a subcommittee of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee the previous day, Chief Justice Cho stated, “We must continue to explain and cooperate with the National Assembly on what the original constitutional and legal functions of the Supreme Court are, and what reform direction would best serve the people. I will make further efforts to do so.”
When asked how he viewed the fact that all the newly added justices under the plan could be appointed during the Lee Jae-myung administration, Cho responded, “We plan to continue discussions with the National Assembly through the Judicial Administration Office.”
He added, “This issue is entangled with various factors, it’s a matter tied to the nation’s long-term judicial direction. Since it has been under discussion for a long time, we intend to offer further explanations through the Judicial Administration Office and continue the dialogue.”
On June 4, the National Assembly’s Subcommittee on Bill Review within the Legislation and Judiciary Committee approved an amendment to the Court Organization Act that would increase the number of Supreme Court justices from the current 14 to 30.
The bill proposes appointing four new justices per year over four years, for a total addition of 16 justices. A one-year grace period after the bill's promulgation is also included. The bill was passed solely by Democratic Party lawmakers, with members of the People Power Party (PPP) walking out in protest.
Immediately after the vote, the PPP issued a strong rebuttal. In a statement, the PPP members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee urged, “The Democratic Party must cease its betrayal of the people and withdraw its legislative tyranny, having rammed through the expansion bill just 10 hours after Lee’s election victory.”
The PPP added, “President-elect Lee stated during his campaign that ‘now is not the time to discuss expanding the number of justices’ and reportedly instructed his campaign team to avoid the issue,” accusing the Democratic Party of “political fraud aimed at deceiving voters ahead of the election.”
The statement further asserted, “Pushing through the justice expansion immediately after the election is a scheme to pack the Supreme Court with pro-Lee Jae-myung figures, turning the judiciary into a tool of political command. This is a textbook example of Venezuela-style dictatorship and an anachronistic outrage that cannot be tolerated in South Korea.”
Representative Na Kyung-won wrote on Facebook, “The newly added justices will be ‘Lee Jae-myung Democratic Party justices.’ With the number increasing from 14 to 30, the Supreme Court and judiciary will devolve into the ‘Democratic Party’s judiciary,’” adding, “It mirrors Venezuela’s 2004 move to increase its Supreme Court to 32 justices to seize control of the judiciary.”
Photo=Yonhap News
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