National Judges' Representative Meeting to Resume Discussion on "Lee Jaemyung Appellate Review Controversy" on June 30

Discussion on "Judicial Trust and Independence"

The National Judges' Representative Meeting, which addresses the controversy surrounding the Supreme Court's appellate review of President Lee Jaemyung's violation of the Public Official Election Act, will resume on June 30, 2025.

Judges attending the National Judges' Representative Meeting. Photo by Yonhap News

The National Judges' Representative Meeting will continue its special session at 10:00 a.m. on this day. The meeting is scheduled to run until noon, but may be extended depending on circumstances. Unlike the previous session, which was held both online and offline, this meeting will be conducted entirely online.

The agenda for discussion includes items that were tabled at last month's special session, as well as any new items proposed on the spot. During the previous meeting, the representatives discussed two agenda items submitted by Chair Kim Yeyoung (Presiding Judge at Seoul Southern District Court): whether to publicly express the meeting's stance on fair trials and trust in the judiciary, and concerns over threats to judicial independence.

In addition, decisions will be made on whether to vote on five agenda items that were proposed on-site on May 26. These include confirming that the "judicialization of politics" is a significant threat to judicial independence, and pointing out that the Supreme Court's en banc ruling on President Lee had a negative impact on public trust in the judiciary. Another item calls for expressing concern that holding judges excessively accountable for individual trials could undermine judicial independence. However, there was disagreement among the representatives on whether to vote on the agenda items or to continue the discussion at the next meeting. With 54 in favor and 34 opposed out of 90 present, it was decided to postpone the meeting until after the presidential election.

This meeting was prompted by the Supreme Court's en banc decision, in which the case against President Lee was remanded for a guilty verdict by a 10-to-2 vote among the participating justices, leading some judges to demand a meeting on the grounds of "violation of political neutrality." Although the Judges' Representative Meeting convened a special session on May 26, it decided to continue discussions after the presidential election (June 3), citing concerns that adopting an official stance could affect the election. If a majority of attendees approve the seven agenda items tabled on this day, they will be announced as the official position of the National Judges' Representative Meeting.

However, some observers predict that the representatives may conclude the meeting without reaching a concrete decision, given that the Seoul High Court panel handling President Lee's appellate retrial suspended proceedings based on Article 84 of the Constitution, and that the Democratic Party's criticism of the judiciary has somewhat subsided.