Kim Byungki: "Retrial Petitions Not Included in Special Committee's Reform Proposal... Public Discussion to Follow Individual Bills"

Kim Byungki, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced on the 19th that the judicial reform proposal by the party’s Special Committee on Judicial Reform (SCAES) does not include the issue of retrial petitions, and that if a related bill is introduced in the future, a process of public discussion will be initiated.

Kim Byung-ki, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the National Assembly inspection countermeasure meeting held at the National Assembly on October 14th. 2025.10.14 Photo by Kim Hyun-min

At a press briefing held at the National Assembly on this day, Floor Leader Kim responded to a question about whether the judicial reform proposal would include retrial petitions by saying, "It is not included in the (SCAES) reform proposal."

He stated, "There are strong opinions both in favor of and against retrial petitions," adding, "We will not introduce it as a party platform, nor will it be included in the proposal by the Special Committee on Judicial Reform."

The party’s Special Committee on Judicial Reform is scheduled to announce its judicial reform proposal on the 20th, focusing on increasing the number of Supreme Court justices and introducing a judicial evaluation system.

The Democratic Party’s plan is to exclude retrial petitions-which would effectively introduce a four-tier court system-from the main judicial reform proposal, and instead to foster public discussion based on existing bills introduced by individual lawmakers and any future bills that may be submitted.

In this regard, Floor Leader Kim said, "If a retrial petition bill is introduced, we will bring it to the table for discussion and examine it thoroughly."

He further explained, "Public discussion does not mean creating a separate body for the process," emphasizing that the opinions of the judiciary, opposition parties, and experts will be sufficiently considered.

However, Floor Leader Kim stressed, "We will reach a conclusion after considering public opinion, but personally, I have no intention of dragging this out," adding, "I hope to focus the discussion intensively."