Noh Tae-ak: "Judging it difficult for guilty verdict in judicial farming suspicion case"

Nominee for Supreme Court Justice No Tae-ak is attending the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 19th, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Nom Tae-ak, a nominee for Supreme Court Justice, stated on the 19th that it would be difficult for a guilty verdict to come out in the so-called 'Judicial Farming Scandal' case.

Nom said at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly that in response to a question from Song Gap-seok, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, "It has been clearly confirmed that there was a highly inappropriate abuse of judicial administrative power, but overall, I judged that it would be difficult to impose criminal punishment in this state." He explained, "There was definitely evidence of an attempt to trade judgments at that time," and added, "Regarding whether it actually happened, from my perspective as a judge for nearly 30 years, I came to the conclusion based on my own belief that it would be difficult."

When Kwon Chil-seung, a member of the same party, expressed concerns about the issue of publicizing suspect facts if the prosecution's indictment containing the suspect's criminal facts were disclosed, Nom expressed his view that he "fully sympathizes." However, regarding whether such acts constitute a serious deviation by investigative agencies, he refrained from commenting, saying, "It is difficult to speak confidently." Regarding the post by Kim Dong-jin, Chief Judge of the Seoul Central District Court, on his Facebook demanding the president's resignation, Nom pointed out, "Regardless of the content, the act itself is inappropriate."

Nom apologized for the issue of drafting down contracts pointed out by opposition party lawmakers during the hearing. He said, "There was such a thing in 2004, and although it was before the obligation to report actual transaction prices in 2006, I feel ashamed for not meeting the public's expectations," and added, "I offer my apologies to the public." When Joo Kwang-deok, a member of the United Future Party, raised concerns about judges going directly to the Blue House or National Assembly, Nom said, "I understand that the Court Organization Act was recently passed reflecting those issues."