National Judges' Representative Meeting: "Use of 'Judge SNS' Requires Caution to Avoid Doubts About Fairness"

Among 124 Representatives, 55 Support and 35 Oppose... "Be Careful of Judges' Dignity Damage"
Proposal for 'Specific Criteria' on SNS Use Rejected... "Collect Cases First, Criteria to Follow"

At the National Judges' Representative Meeting, a proposal stating that "judges should be careful not to raise doubts about their impartiality when using SNS" was passed. However, it was decided not to establish specific guidelines regarding judges' use of SNS.

On the 4th, judges attending the National Judges' Representative Meeting held at the Judicial Research and Training Institute in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province, are conducting a meeting. During the meeting, agenda items regarding precautions and guidelines for judges' use of social networking services (SNS) were discussed. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

On the 4th, the National Judges' Representative Meeting held its second regular meeting of the year at the Judicial Research and Training Institute in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, and discussed "matters judges should be mindful of when using SNS." As a result, a proposal initiated by the Judicial Trust and Judicial Ethics Subcommittee within the National Judges' Representative Meeting, stating that "judges must be careful not to create an appearance that could raise doubts about their impartiality as judges or damage the dignity of the judiciary when using SNS," was passed with 53 votes in favor, 35 against, and 11 abstentions out of 99 attendees from 124 members.

However, the existing proposal that "the Supreme Court should establish specific guidelines regarding judges' use of SNS, ensuring the participation of the National Judges' Representative Meeting so that frontline judges' opinions are sufficiently reflected in the process" was amended and submitted as "the National Judges' Representative Meeting will prepare reference cases related to judges' use of SNS by collecting opinions from frontline judges," and "the Supreme Court will prepare reference cases related to judges' use of SNS by collecting opinions from frontline judges." Nevertheless, this was rejected with 46 votes in favor, 46 against, and 5 abstentions out of 97 attendees. The National Judges' Representative Meeting's regulations stipulate that decisions requiring resolution must be approved by a majority of the members present.

During the discussions on judges' use of SNS, it was reported that there was a suggestion that the National Judges' Representative Meeting should only be involved in collecting cases rather than taking the lead in establishing guidelines, and that the formulation of guidelines based on those cases should be done later.

The National Judges' Representative Meeting is an official assembly of judges that can express opinions or make recommendations on matters related to judicial administration and judicial independence.

On this day, the Representative Meeting discussed a total of seven agenda items: ▲matters judges should be mindful of when using SNS ▲amendments to internal regulations related to submitting opinions on Supreme Court rules ▲agenda and related internal regulation amendments concerning the collection of judges' consensus for the composition of Supreme Court justices ▲agenda on improving procedures for supporting confirmation hearings ▲agenda on shortening the minimum legal career period required for judicial appointments ▲agenda on introducing a senior judge system ▲agenda urging the establishment of a system to protect judicial independence from excessive attacks.