Cheon Dae-yeop, Director, "In a Nationally Serious Situation, Objectivity and Neutrality Must Be Realized"

Request Made at the Nationwide Court Chiefs' Meeting

Yonhap News

On the 13th, Cheon Dae-yeop, Chief of the Court Administration Office, told court chiefs nationwide, "In this nationally serious situation, the judiciary and judges must not lose the objectivity and neutrality that are vital to their existence."

At the nationwide court chiefs' meeting held over two days from the 13th to the 14th in Buyeo, Chungnam Province, Chief Cheon emphasized, "Independent and prompt, fair trials must be realized solely according to the Constitution and laws, guided by conscience."

During the meeting, court chiefs from across the country gathered to deeply discuss the prolonged period of case allocation and future tasks to expedite trials. Case allocation is the procedure of assigning judges to each trial panel, and frequent changes have been pointed out as a major cause of trial delays by disrupting trial continuity. Chief Cheon requested, "Please convey the voices from the field without omission on how the system established for prompt trials actually affects trials." He also promised to do his best in preparing for the future judiciary, including the development of the criminal electronic litigation system and AI models supporting trials.

The court chiefs shared experiences and know-how accumulated during the prolonged case allocation process and exchanged opinions on matters requiring support from the Court Administration Office. In the discussion on "Improvement plans for work processes for appropriate case management," they discussed methods of human resource allocation suitable for the characteristics of each court and efficient case management plans.

On the second day of the meeting on the 14th, a discussion on "Safety management measures for court buildings after the Seoul Western District Court incident" is scheduled. The focus will be on strengthening court building security and maintaining courtroom order, and a briefing on the "Sejong International Conference" scheduled for September will also be held.