Gwangju Bar Association Selects Eight Outstanding Judges of the Year... "Courtesy and Fairness Evaluated"

Evaluation Covers Both Gwangju District Court and Mokpo Branch

The Gwangju Bar Association announced eight recipients of the 'Outstanding Judge of the Year' award on the 26th. The judges named were Kim Yongshin, Kim Yeonju, Park Sanghyun, Lee Hwajin, Jeon Heesuk, Ji Hyeseon, Choi Yushin, and Ha Jongmin.

The Gwangju Bar Association announcing the '2025 Judicial Evaluation Results' on the 26th at the Bar Association Hall's main conference room. Provided by the Gwangju Bar Association.

Judges Kim Yongshin and Ji Hyeseon were selected for the second consecutive year, while Judge Park Sanghyun was chosen as an outstanding judge for the fourth time, following previous selections in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Judge Kim Yeonju is affiliated with the Mokpo Branch of the Gwangju District Court, while the remaining seven judges are all affiliated with the Gwangju District Court.

The Gwangju Bar Association stated, "The outstanding judges ensured sufficient opportunity for parties and their representatives to speak and defend themselves, demonstrating a courteous and fair attitude." The association added that thorough record review, smooth trial proceedings, and rational decisions based on legal principles and precedents were key evaluation criteria.

The association also selected four judges for the lowest rankings this year, but did not disclose their names. Evaluation criteria included trial fairness and courtroom decorum, and some judges received low evaluations this year as they did last year.

The average score for all judges this year was 84.38 points, a slight decrease from the three-year average of 84.52 points. The eight outstanding judges had an average score of 91.31 points, while the four lowest-ranked judges averaged 70.15 points.

The Gwangju Bar Association has conducted judicial evaluations annually since 2011. This year, 266 out of 617 members participated. A total of 614 judges were evaluated, and 4,324 evaluation forms were submitted. Ha Jaeuk, President of the Gwangju Bar Association, stated, "We will submit the evaluation results to the courts and the Supreme Court and request that they be reflected in judicial personnel decisions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.