Will the National Judges Representatives Conference Announce Its Position on Judicial Reform? Meeting Scheduled for Today

[Financial News] The National Judges Representatives Conference will discuss today whether to announce its stance on the 'Judicial Reform' initiative being promoted by the ruling party. At the regular meeting of the National Conference of Court Presidents on the 5th, strong concerns were expressed regarding the constitutionality of the Judicial Reform bills, including the establishment of a Special Court for Insurrection Cases and the introduction of the Crime of Legal Distortion. If a statement is made public, it is likely to echo similar sentiments.
According to the legal community, the National Judges Representatives Conference will hold its regular meeting at 10 a.m. today at the Judicial Research and Training Institute in Ilsan, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The meeting will also be conducted online.
The National Judges Representatives Conference is a body composed of representative judges elected from courts nationwide. It expresses opinions or makes recommendations regarding judicial administration and the independence of judges.
Two agenda items have been submitted: a proposal from the Judicial System Subcommittee on improving the judicial system, and another concerning changes to the judicial personnel and evaluation system.
The proposal from the Judicial System Subcommittee consists of three articles, with the conference set to decide whether to express its position on each.
The first article emphasizes that, in improving the judicial system, the expectations and demands of the public, as well as the opinions of the judges responsible for trials, must be fully reflected in the discussions.
The second article highlights the need to discuss improvements to the appellate system and ways to strengthen fact-finding trials during the reform process. It also mentions the necessity of enhancing the Supreme Court Justice Candidate Recommendation Committee to ensure democratic legitimacy in the composition of Supreme Court justices.
The third article contains a pledge from judges regarding judicial system improvements. The proposal from the Judicial Personnel System Subcommittee expresses concern about the hasty push for changes to the judicial evaluation system.
The intent is that it is undesirable for the system to be rapidly reformed based on short-term political debates or temporary public opinion, as this could undermine the fairness of trials and the stability of the judiciary.
The proposal also reaffirms the basic principle that, given the importance of the judicial personnel and evaluation system, any changes must be based on thorough research, review, and broad consensus.
Additionally, the National Judges Representatives Conference plans to hear the opinions of the National Court Administration regarding the ongoing discussions about abolishing the National Court Administration, establishing a Judicial Administration Council, setting up a Special Court for Insurrection Cases, and introducing the Crime of Legal Distortion.
For any agenda item to be officially adopted as the conference’s position, it must be approved by a majority of the representatives present. If the quorum is not met, the proposal will be rejected.
hwlee@fnnews.com Lee Hwan-joo Reporter