On the 28th, at Seoul Central District Court, Small Courtroom No. 374 in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Chief Judge Kim Jeong-jung of the Seoul Central District Court donned his judicial robe and entered the courtroom for the first time in a while. This was due to the introduction of the 'Chief Judge Trial Division' starting this year to resolve the chronic issue of 'trial delays' in the judiciary. Judge Kim will be in charge of Civil Single Judge Division 62, primarily handling long-term unsolved cases in the financial single judge division.
Kim Jeong-jung, Chief Judge of the Seoul Central District Court, is conducting the first trial of the Civil 62 Solo (Reconsideration Solo) Court for Long-term Unsolved Cases on the 28th at the Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Before the first hearing began, Judge Kim, standing before numerous reporters with a somewhat tense expression, said, "Because this trial division deals with specialized cases, there are usually no spectators other than the litigants, so we have been assigned a small courtroom, but many people have come today," adding, "I did not expect such great interest in the Chief Judge Trial." He continued, "In a situation where dissatisfaction and criticism regarding prolonged trials are rising, I feel the high expectations for the court's efforts to expedite trials."
Judge Kim stated, "For these efforts to bear proper fruit, legislation to increase the number of judges and improve the qualifications for judicial appointments is urgently needed," adding, "According to current law, the number of judges will gradually decrease over the next three years starting next year, raising concerns that case backlogs will worsen again." He emphasized, "Regardless of any circumstances, I will take the public's expectations of the judiciary seriously and do my utmost to guarantee the fundamental right to receive faithful and swift trials."
The first hearing conducted by Judge Kim that day was a lawsuit for damages that has been ongoing for seven years between a traffic accident victim and an insurance company. The traffic accident occurred 13 years ago in 2011, and the victim filed a lawsuit in March 2017 against the insurance company claiming approximately 530 million won in compensation after disputes over the amount. Judge Kim, presiding over the single judge division, calmly conducted the hearing by personally reviewing the progress and records of the trial without assistant judges or judicial researchers. In a single judge division, the judge directly handles all aspects of the trial process, including trial proceedings and judgment drafting.
Earlier, on the 25th, Hwang Jeong-su, Chief Judge of the Seoul Southern District Court, also conducted his first Chief Judge Trial. Judge Hwang, who presides over Civil Division 1, will mainly handle long-term unsolved civil appeal cases.
On that day alone, Judge Hwang conducted hearings for 10 appeals and actively engaged in mediation. An elderly taxi driver with white hair filed a lawsuit against his company in 2021, claiming about 4.8 million won for unpaid wage increases and won the first trial. However, the company appealed based on a 'memorandum' stating they would not pay additional wages.
The elderly man explained, "When rewriting the employment contract, the company made me sign the memorandum, and if I didn’t sign it, they wouldn’t give me the car keys," adding, "Taxi drivers live day by day, and if they don’t give the keys unless I sign, what can I do?" expressing his grievance.
After hearing the circumstances, Judge Hwang said, "If the memorandum was signed under coercion by the defendant (taxi company), its validity could be questioned," but also suggested, "Even if it is valid, the amount corresponding to work outside the period specified in the memorandum is 1.2 million won; does the taxi company have no intention to pay this?" When both plaintiff and defendant showed willingness to agree, the lawsuit, which had lasted three years, was finally able to conclude the pleadings.
A representative from the Southern District Court said, "The Chief Judge’s trial of long-term unsolved cases is meaningful as it allows the chief judge to directly identify the causes of case backlogs and find necessary solutions," adding, "Through this, the chief judge can recognize the administrative support needed for frontline judges to conduct swift trials in the short term and identify systems that need improvement in the long term." Furthermore, they added, "It is also expected to serve as an opportunity to remind frontline judges of the public’s demand for speedy trials."
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