Gwangju Byeonhyeop Announces Judicial Evaluation Results... Who Are the Outstanding Judges?

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Seven judges were selected as excellent and friendly judges in Gwangju and Jeonnam this year.

The Gwangju Bar Association selected this year’s excellent and friendly judges under the supervision of the Judicial Evaluation Special Committee.

As a result of the review, Lee Seung-cheol of Gwangju High Court (Training Institute Class 26), Judges No Jae-ho (Training Institute Class 33), Park Sang-hyun (Training Institute Class 32), Jeong Ui-jeong (Training Institute Class 35), and Jeong Ji-seon (Training Institute Class 34) of Gwangju District Court, Judge Kang Mi-hee (Training Institute Class 38) of Gwangju Family Court, and Judge Kim Dong-wook (Training Institute Class 38) of Suncheon Branch were selected.

These judges were evaluated to have sufficiently grasped the issues of the cases before proceeding with the trial procedures, conducted fair and prompt trials, and appropriately exercised their authority to direct litigation for substantive truth-finding.

Five lower-ranking judges were also identified.

They were reported to have caused discomfort by treating litigation parties with a high-handed tone and rude attitude, conducting authoritative trials, or failing to accurately understand case details and raising their voice or getting angry without reasonable cause.

The judicial evaluation, now in its 11th year, involved 225 bar association members, and 2,802 evaluations were submitted for 362 judges (including judges outside the jurisdiction, 146 in Gwangju).

The average score of all judges evaluated was 84.06 points, showing a slight increase compared to the average scores over the past three years from 2018 to 2020 (2018: 83.36, 2019: 83.52, 2020: 83.15).

In particular, among the excellent judges, Judge No Jae-ho was selected for two consecutive years following last year, and Judge Jeong Ji-seon was selected as an excellent judge for the second time since 2013.

Among the lower-ranking judges, one was selected for two consecutive years following last year, and another was selected as a lower-ranking judge for the fifth time since 2015.

Jin Yong-tae, President of the Gwangju Bar Association, stated, "We will provide these judicial evaluation results to each court and the Supreme Court to reflect them in judicial personnel decisions," and added, "We will continue to do our best to ensure that trials in court proceed fairly and kindly."