National Judges Representatives Meeting Reconvenes Second Extraordinary Session with Majority Attendance

The National Judges Representatives Meeting, which addresses the controversy surrounding the Supreme Court's appellate review of President Lee Jaemyung's violation of the Public Official Election Act, was reconvened on the 30th.

On May 26, at the Judicial Research and Training Institute in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, attendees, including Kim Yeyeong, Chief Judge of the Seoul Southern District Court (third from the right in the front row), who presided over the National Judges Representatives Meeting, are saluting the national flag. Photo by Yonhap News

The National Judges Representatives Meeting held an extraordinary session at 10 a.m. that day via a fully remote format. The meeting requires attendance by a majority of the 126 representatives from courts nationwide (at least 64) in order to proceed, and the number of attendees far exceeded this threshold. The National Judges Representatives Meeting stated, "Since the meeting is being held remotely, the number of participants continues to fluctuate, so it is difficult to disclose the exact figure, but it has far surpassed the majority."

The agenda for the day included items tabled at last month's extraordinary session, as well as any additional items proposed on the spot. At the previous meeting, two items submitted by Chair Kim Yeyeong (Chief Judge of the Seoul Southern District Court) were discussed: whether to publicly express a position in the name of the Judges Representatives Meeting regarding fair trials and trust in the judiciary, and concerns about threats to judicial independence.

Additionally, a decision was to be made on whether to vote on five items proposed on-site on the 26th of last month. These included items confirming that the "judicialization of politics" poses a significant threat to judicial independence, and pointing out that the Supreme Court's en banc decision on President Lee had a negative impact on public trust in the judiciary. Another item called for expressing concern that holding judges excessively accountable for individual trials could infringe upon judicial independence. However, there were differing opinions among the representatives, with some advocating for a vote on the agenda items and others calling for the meeting to be continued at a later date. Ultimately, with 54 in favor and 34 opposed out of 90 present, it was decided to resume the meeting after the presidential election.

This meeting was prompted when some judges called for its convening, claiming a "violation of political neutrality" after the Supreme Court's en banc panel, by a vote of 10 to 2, overturned and remanded President Lee's case with a guilty verdict. The Judges Representatives Meeting convened an extraordinary session on the 26th of last month, but decided to postpone adopting any official position and to continue discussions after the presidential election (June 3), due to concerns about influencing the election.

The meeting is scheduled to continue until noon, but may be extended depending on circumstances. If any agenda item is approved by a majority of those present, it will be announced as the official position of the National Judges Representatives Meeting.