"Reimbursement for transportation and other expenses is often unavailable"
Supreme Court public defender applications up 36%, in sharp contrast
Over the past 10 years, the number of applicants for public defender positions at lower courts, excluding the Supreme Court, has decreased by approximately 15-25%. Although the number of lawyers has increased, the decline in applicants is attributed to a combination of factors, including compensation and reimbursement issues at lower courts, as well as the method of case assignment. In contrast, the Supreme Court, which generally has a lighter workload, saw the number of applicants increase by more than 30% during the same period.
According to the Seoul Bar Association, from 2017 to 2026, the number of applicants for public defender positions at major lower courts in Seoul-including the Seoul Central, Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern District Courts-decreased by about 15-25%. At the Seoul Central District Court, the number of applicants was in the 1,000s in 2018, but has since declined, reaching 783 in 2026. This represents a 16.6% decrease over 10 years. The Seoul Eastern District Court maintained applicant numbers in the 600-700 range, but hit a low of 592 in 2024. The 2026 applicant count was 593, an 18.9% decrease compared to 2017.
Comparing 2026 to 2017, some lower courts saw a decline in applicants exceeding 20%. The Seoul Western District Court peaked at 688 applicants in 2018, then dropped to a low of 442 in 2025, with a slight rebound to 487 in 2026. The Seoul Southern District Court saw numbers fall from the 600s to the 400s, while the Seoul Northern District Court dropped from the 500s to the 400s. The decrease rates were 23.4% for the Seoul Western District Court, 26.6% for the Seoul Southern District Court, and 22.7% for the Seoul Northern District Court, indicating a significant reduction in public defender applications.
The number of applicants for public defender positions at the Seoul High Court peaked at 923 in 2018, then dropped to the 700s by 2022, reaching 741 in 2026. This is an 11.9% decrease compared to 2017.
In contrast, the Supreme Court saw a 36.3% increase in applicants over the same period. The number of applicants rose from 1,475 in 2017 to 2,011 in 2026. After remaining in the 1,600s from 2018 to 2020, the number jumped to 1,972 in 2021, and has since stayed in the 1,800-1,900 range.
A lawyer who has handled public defender cases at both lower courts and the Supreme Court commented, "Public defenders typically receive only the final compensation for handling cases, but at lower courts, there are various out-of-pocket expenses such as document copying fees and transportation costs for meetings, which are sometimes not reimbursed," adding, "It is necessary to introduce an incentive system for public defenders at lower courts."
Seo Hayeon, The Law Times Reporter
※This article is based on content supplied by Law Times.
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