Exclusive Family Court Trials, Lawsuit Amount Increased Up to 500 Million KRW... Court Expects "Swift Trials"

The litigation amount for first-instance family lawsuits handled solely by one judge will increase from 'up to 200 million KRW' to 'up to 500 million KRW.'

On the 24th, the Supreme Court's Court Administration Office announced that the amendments to the "Rules on Jurisdiction in Civil and Family Litigation" and the "Regulations on the Division of Duties and Case Allocation of Judges" will be officially implemented starting next month on the 1st.

Supreme Court, Seocho-gu, Seoul.

Previously, high-value family lawsuits or property division cases exceeding 200 million KRW were handled by a collegiate panel of three judges. With the new amendment raising the threshold to 500 million KRW, the number of cases that a single judge can hear in the first instance will increase, which is expected to alleviate case backlogs. The civil litigation threshold for single-judge jurisdiction was already raised from 200 million KRW to 500 million KRW in March last year.

This also applies to lawsuits involving damages due to breach of promise to marry or unjust dissolution of de facto marital relationships, annulment or cancellation of marriage and divorce, divorce-related damages, annulment or cancellation of adoption and revocation, and avoidance of fraudulent acts (acts by a debtor to reduce assets and harm creditors' rights) to preserve claims for property division.

However, cases involving determination of contribution shares, division of inheritance property, or those already being heard by a collegiate panel will continue to be handled by the first-instance collegiate panel. Even if a single judge handles the first-instance trial for high-value cases, a chief judge-level judge will be responsible, and parties may request a collegiate panel hearing if they wish.

For appeals or objections against judgments, decisions, or orders made by a first-instance single judge, if the litigation amount exceeded 200 million KRW at the time the lawsuit was filed or when the claim was expanded, the second instance will be handled by the High Court instead of the District Court.

An official from the Court Administration Office stated, "By expanding the single-judge jurisdiction in first-instance family cases, we aim to guarantee the parties' right to a prompt trial and secure sufficient time for thorough hearings by increasing the number of judges."