◀ Anchor ▶
Chief Justice Kim Myeong-soo, who took office at a time when public demands for court reform were high due to the so-called “judicial abuse” incident, completed his six-year term.
I had a retirement ceremony today.
“The way to restore trust in the judiciary was a journey with a sense of duty to ensure good trials,” he said, adding, “All of my faults were my own fault.”
Reporter Kim Ji-in covered the story.
◀ Report ▶
Chief Justice Kim Myeong-soo is concluding his six-year term, and has brought back the “good trial” he promised when he took office.
He emphasized that the essence of the judiciary ultimately lies in providing “good trials” for the people, and to do so, judges must be independent from within and outside the judiciary.
[김명수/대법원장]
“With unwavering courage, we must take the lead in protecting our own trials and the independence of the judiciary. We must do our best to fulfill our role and mission as the last bastion to protect minorities and the weak.”
In 2017, Chief Justice Kim came to lead the court at a time when public trust in the independence of judges and fair trials had fallen.
This is because suspicions arose that the Administrative Office, the secretarial organization of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was involved in major trials and disadvantaged judges who made so-called “outrageous rulings.”
[김명수/대법원장 (지난 2017년 9월 취임식)]
″I think my inauguration as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court today in itself symbolizes change and reform in the judiciary.″
The reform began with dividing the powerful authority of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and establishing the Judicial Administration Advisory Council and the Judges’ Representative Council on a permanent basis.
The composition of the Supreme Court justices, which were predominantly male and graduated from Seoul National University, were in their 50s, also changed.
In 2018, a ruling was made that expanded human rights, including confirming the obligation of Japanese companies to compensate victims of forced mobilization during Japanese colonial rule and acquitting a person who objected to military service on the grounds of personal beliefs.
Opinions were divided on the elimination of the promotion system for chief judges of the High Court, which had been criticized as ‘lining up judges’, and the introduction of the court president recommendation system.
The question is whether it has taken away the motivation of judges to work and worsened the problem of trial delays.
Another painful point is the criticism that he “lowered the prestige of the judiciary” by causing controversy over false explanations by the National Assembly during his term.
Chief Justice Kim’s last words were, “Please blame yourself for all your faults and scold him, but send encouragement to the judiciary.”
This is Ji-in Kim from MBC News.
Video coverage: Kim Shin-young / Video editing: Kim Jin-woo
2023-09-22 13:43:56
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