This was the first time that the Chief Justice presided over the discussion about the reform of an appeal system.
A consensus was reached on the necessity of the reform of an appeal system, and opinions will be widely gathered from various circles of society in the future.
▣ Outline
The Supreme Court held a round table conference regarding the reform of an appeal system on July 24, 2019. Executives of the relevant law associations such as Prof. Kim Dae-jeong, President of the Korean Civil Law Association and Prof. Lee Sang-won, President of the Korean Association of Criminal Procedure Law, and also renowned scholars including Professor Jeong Sun-ju from Seoul National University attended the conference.
▶ This round table conference was held in accordance with the promise the Chief Justice made in his inauguration speech that he will listen and gather public opinions on the reform of an appeal system from all walks of life.
▶ In the inauguration speech, the Chief Justice states, “In order to make an appeal system function properly, I will review various options such as permission to appeal, a new appellate court, and increasing the number of Supreme Court Justices with an open mind, and gather public opinions from all walks of life. In doing so, I will make every endeavor to create and establish an appeal system suitable for our situation.”
▣ Outcome of the Discussion
▶ The Supreme Court and legal academic circles deeply agreed that there is urgent need for the reform of an appeal system. In addition, a consensus was reached that the reform of an appeal system should be discussed along with the measures of reinforcing a fact-finding trial. Furthermore, the Supreme Court and legal academic circles agreed that public support and consent are required in order to push ahead with the reform of an appeal system. Participants exchanged their views and opinions broadly and in-depth as for desirable ways to push ahead with the reform.
▶ Participants presented a wide range of opinions regarding desirable ways to reform an appeal system. Among them, the ideas of increasing the number of Supreme Court Justices, permission to appeal, a new appellate court, the dualistic composition of the Supreme Court, and the appellate division in High Courts were included.
▶ Chief Justice Kim listened to opinions attentively, and requested participants to suggest many ideas on the reform.
▣The Significance of the Conference and Future Plans
▶ This is the first time that the discussion regarding the reform of an appeal system was presided over by the Chief Justice.
▶ As stated in an inauguration speech, Chief Justice Kim will review diverse ideas on the reform with an open mind, and gather public opinions from all walks of life in order to come up with the reform plan which corresponds with the role of courts prescribed by the Constitution and in tune with the will of the people. |
