"Mudeungsan Judge" Yang Younghee's Graceful Descent... "I Found the Path to Judgment on Mudeungsan"

Senior Judge Yang Younghee of the Gwangju High Court to Hold Retirement Ceremony on the 4th
Connection with Mudeungsan Dating Back to 2009
"Revisiting cases during morning hikes"
"Acquittals in cases such as the four-member robbery-murder case remain vivid in my memory"
New start after retirement as Managing Partner of law firm Yangyoung & Junghoon

Yang Younghee, Senior Presiding Judge of the Gwangju High Court, will take honorable retirement on the 4th. He has served on the bench for more than 30 years, earning a reputation for warm yet firm rulings.

Senior Judge Yang Younghee (Judicial Research and Training Institute Class of 26), known as the "Mudeungsan Judge" for climbing Mudeungsan every day to train body and mind in order to endure the gravity of rendering judgments and to uphold fairness above all else, is leaving the court he has grown attached to.

On Wednesday the 4th, ahead of his retirement ceremony, Senior Judge Yang will conclude more than 30 years of service on the bench and take honorary retirement. The local legal community remembers him as the "byword for diligence" and as a "reliable eldest brother" who, like a mountain, steadfastly held his post.

"When a judgment hit a wall, I went to the mountains"... The power of hiking that led to acquittals

For Senior Judge Yang, Mudeungsan was not just a place to build physical strength. For him, the mountain was another "courtroom" and a fierce "space for reflection."

His connection with Mudeungsan began in 2009 when he moved to Hakun-dong in Gwangju. From 2016 onward, except for two years when he worked away from the region (in Daegu), he climbed Mudeungsan almost every single day without missing a day.

Senior Judge Yang recalled, "At the High Court, I have handed down acquittals in weighty cases such as the 'four-member robbery-murder case,'" and added, "When I was buried in the case file and could not see a way forward, I would revisit the case in my mind during a morning hike, and, as if by magic, the direction of the judgment would come to me."

The thoughts he organized while climbing became the driving force behind delivering "perfect judgments" that left no defendant wrongfully convicted.

'Nalmada Saeinbong' YouTuber Judge... "The sea of clouds at Gyubongam is my most memorable moment"

This seeker-like daily routine is captured in full on his YouTube channel Nalmada Saeinbong, which he runs himself.

The YouTube channel, which began at the suggestion of court staff who told him to "record on video the magnificent scenery of Mudeungsan as it changes with the seasons," has now become his trademark.

Senior Judge Yang cited the "sea of clouds at Gyubongam" as his most memorable moment. He said, "To capture the sea of clouds at Gyubongam on video, I left home at 4 a.m. several times, and I will never forget the exhilaration I felt when I finally captured that spectacular scene."

Fellow judges all say in unison that he is "the very embodiment of consistency and diligence." Many were also surprised, calling it "an unexpectedly human side," when they learned that this man they had known only as a solemn judge was running a YouTube channel.

Thanks to that consistency and diligence, the daily Mudeungsan hiking videos he uploads have drawn around 1,200 subscribers and a cumulative 370,000 views, going beyond a simple record of hikes to capture the attention of the broader public.

Yang Younghee, Senior Judge nicknamed 'Mudeungsan Judge,' climbed Mudeungsan and captured the scenery with his smartphone. He has been personally running the YouTube channel 'Nalmada Saeinbong' and communicating with viewers.

 Beginning a second ascent as Managing Partner of law firm Yangyoung & Junghoon

Senior Judge Yang Younghee is descending the mountain after a long journey of more than 30 years. But his ascent will not stop. After retirement, he will establish the law firm Yangyoung & Junghoon and begin a new life as its managing partner.

Senior Judge Yang said, "I plan to fulfill my duties as head of the household, which I neglected during my time in public service, and to take an active role in community service as a lawyer," and pledged, "Instead of standing on the bench, I will stand at a lower place, breathe with the citizens, and become a generous legal professional like Mudeungsan."

The retirement ceremony for Senior Judge Yang Younghee will be held on Wednesday the 4th at the Gwangju High Court. There is growing anticipation as to what kind of resonance his firm resolve, strengthened by climbing the mountain every day, will create in the world beyond the courthouse.