Constitutional Court President Kim Sang-hwan: “Working to clear the case backlog ... will strive to ensure the constitutional complaint against final court judgments system takes root”

[Financial News] Constitutional Court President Kim Sang-hwan said he had worked to clear the backlog of cases since taking office. Regarding the system for constitutional complaints against final court judgments, introduced last March, he said he would work to ensure it takes root steadily with the public’s trust.
Kim made the remarks in his opening address at the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee’s audit of the Constitutional Court on the 13th.
“When I took office in late July last year, the bench, which had long had vacancies, was finally restored to a full nine-member lineup,” Kim said. “The newly constituted full bench has worked with considerable determination and dedication to resume deliberations on the backlog of cases and reach decisions.”
He cited rulings on the threshold provision governing the allocation of seats to proportional-representation lawmakers; the denial of weekend access to counsel for detainees seeking a review of the legality of their arrest; and the ban on campaigning through mass text messages in cooperative chair elections, among others.
He also cited as major achievements rulings on a provision banning political activities by university faculty unions and on legislative inaction concerning the birth registration of foreign children.
He acknowledged, however, that there was still room to improve the speed of case processing. “Our bench humbly recognizes that, from the perspective of people who have a constitutional right to a speedy trial, we still fall short in some respects,” Kim said.
He also identified the stable establishment of the system for constitutional complaints against final court judgments, introduced on March 12, as a key task going forward. The system allows people, subject to certain requirements, to seek a Constitutional Court ruling on court judgments as well.
On the purpose of introducing the system, Kim said it was “to further strengthen the framework for protecting people’s fundamental rights,” and emphasized that “the Constitutional Court bears a heavy sense of responsibility for this change.”
He added, “We will work to ensure that the new system takes root steadily with the public’s trust and that its original purpose is fully realized.”
Kim said the Court was securing additional staff and budget and pursuing an overhaul of its related information systems to handle the increase in cases for adjudication resulting from the introduction of the system.
“We have built the necessary infrastructure, including by pursuing an overhaul of the information system related to constitutional complaints against final court judgments,” Kim said, adding that he would work to ensure the system takes hold and improve case-processing speed going forward.
 
[email protected] Choi Eun-sol Reporter