Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae of the Supreme Court: "Trial delays increase public suffering... Identify issues and improve"

Establishing a Fair 'Personnel System'... Expanding the Scope of Trial and Judicial Information Disclosure
"We Will Strive to Untangle the Entangled Issues"

New Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae expressed his determination to resolve the issue of 'trial delays.'

Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae is delivering his inaugural address at the inauguration ceremony held at the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 11th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

At the inauguration ceremony held on the 11th at the Supreme Court building in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Chief Justice Cho stated, "The judiciary is the last bastion protecting fundamental rights," adding, "Although every citizen has the right to a prompt trial, the courts have failed to uphold this, thereby increasing the suffering of the people."

He continued, "I will strive to untangle the complex issues through meticulous and multifaceted analysis," and added, "From minor procedural details to major aspects such as the trial system and the expansion of court personnel, we must identify various problems and work together to improve them."

Chief Justice Cho emphasized to court members that every single ruling must be regarded as important. He said, "It is not a point of pride that there is only one unfairly handled case in a lifetime; rather, we must always remember that even that one case can completely undermine the trust in the judiciary."

Furthermore, Chief Justice Cho promised to establish a fair personnel system. He stated, "I will carefully observe changes in the work environment and strive to create an efficient yet fair personnel management system," adding, "Not to mention increasing the number of judges, I will also consider ways to strengthen the expertise and roles of court officials such as judicial assistants and participatory officers."

In addition, Chief Justice Cho announced plans to expand the scope of disclosure of trial and judicial information, improve judicial accessibility for socially vulnerable groups, and establish electronic litigation and intelligent judicial service systems during his term.

Prior to the inauguration ceremony, Chief Justice Cho visited the National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, in the morning. He left the phrase "Freedom and Happiness of the People" in the guestbook.