Various experts and citizens convene to discuss the necessity and methods to improve the final appeal system
■ About the Forum
▶ Title: Assessing the Supreme Court trial system – Focusing on the measures to improve the final appeal system
▶ Hosted by: Supreme Court
▶ Time and Date: 2pm on Friday, May 21, 2021
▶ Participations
- In consideration of the COVID-19, minimum number of participants including the chair, speakers and panelists will gather offline and the rest will participate online using Zoom and livestreaming on YouTube.
- Offline participation also strictly complied with the disinfection and preventive guidelines
▶ Presentations
- [Topic 1] PARK No-su (Presiding Judge, Seoul Central High Court): The necessity and efforts to improve the final appeal system (including presentation on public awareness survey report)
- [Topic 2] LEE In-ho (Professor): Introducing ‘leave-to-appeal system’ as a way to improve the final appeal system
- [Topic 3] SHIM Jung-hee (Grade 2 Official at the National Assembly Secretariat): ‘A way to combine the appeal division of the High Court and a system of leave to appeal’ as a way to improve the final appeal system
- [Topic 4] MIN Hong-ki (attorney-at-law): ‘A dualistic composition of the Supreme Court including the increase of the number of Supreme Court justices’ as a way to improve the final appeal system
▶ Panel Discussions
- HA Sang-ik (Presiding Judge of the Mokpo Branch Court of Gwangju District Court): Judge Ha generally agreed on a leave to appeal system, and discussed the pros and cons of improvement ideas proposed by the speakers.
- KIM Jong-woo (Departmental Chief Prosecutors of Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office): Prosecutor Kim discussed on strengthening of fact finding at lower courts and the need to respect of lower courts’ judgements as prerequisites of the improvement of an appeal system
- KIM Kwan-ki (attorney-at-law and Vice President of the Korean Bar Association): Mr. Kim discussed that the restraint of the Supreme Court as a final instance is required, with strengthening of fact finding at lower courts
- SHIM Seok-tae (Professor at Semyung University, Graduate School of Journalism): Professor Shim discussed that a reestablishment of the role of the highest court is urgent and transparency of the Court should be enhanced
■ Significance of the Forum and Future Plans
▶ This forum has significance in that unlike the previous discussions on final appeal system where only experts gathered, this one allowed online participation of the general citizens who are the users of judicial services. As a result, people from various spheres of the society such as professors, attorneys, corporate employees, students, etc. participated in the forum.
▶ The Supreme Court will continue gathering extensive opinions not only from the experts but from the general public through enquiring opinions to related institutions and additional public surveys. |
