'In Dramas, Jury Verdicts Appear Often'... Significantly Reduced Citizen Participation Trials in Courts

Democratic Party Lawmaker Kwon Chil-seung Releases 'Status of Citizen Participation Trials Conducted in the Last 5 Years (2017-2021)'

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] It has been confirmed that the citizen participation trials, introduced to guarantee the public's participation in the judiciary, are rapidly decreasing due to exclusion by the courts.

On the 28th, Kwon Chil-seung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, disclosed that an analysis of the Supreme Court's "Status of Citizen Participation Trials Conducted in the Last 5 Years (2017-2021)" revealed that while the rate of citizen participation trials has been decreasing annually, the rates of exclusion or withdrawal have been increasing.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In fact, citizen participation trials were conducted 295 times in 2017, but decreased to 84 cases last year. This represents a 71.5% reduction over five years. On the other hand, cases excluded by court decision or withdrawn by applicants increased by 40.1%, from 499 in 2017 to 699 last year.

Last year, although there were applications at the Seoul Western District Court, Jeonju District Court, and Jeju District Court, no trials were conducted at all.

Representative Kwon stated, "While 2020 and 2021 faced difficulties in conducting citizen participation trials due to COVID-19, the fact that not a single trial was conducted makes me wonder if the courts have forgotten the purpose and reason for the existence of this system. The judiciary should not hide behind operational difficulties but actively seek ways to improve and revitalize the system to guarantee public participation in the judiciary and enhance trust in the judicial branch."