Park Young-jae, head of the National Court Administration, attends a meeting of chief judges nationwide at the Supreme Court in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
The heads of district courts nationwide on Wednesday expressed "grave concern" over controversial judicial reform bills pushed by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), including a proposal to introduce a new crime of "legal distortion" and to allow constitutional appeals in court cases.
"We express grave regret over the current situation in which the bills have been referred to the plenary session without sufficient public discussion and deliberation, despite concerns raised by the judiciary," according to an official statement released after a meeting of chief judges.
The meeting was convened in response to three DPK-led bills that have faced strong opposition from the judiciary. It was chaired by Park Young-jae, head of the National Court Administration.
The three bills seek to establish a new offense of "legal distortion," allow constitutional appeals of court rulings and increase the number of Supreme Court justices from the current 14 to 26.
The chief judges said the proposed legislation could bring fundamental changes to the judicial system and have a significant impact on the public.
They also warned of possible adverse consequences even if amendments are considered.
"Even with revisions, the elements constituting the crime remain abstract, which could excessively expand the scope of punishment, and penalty provisions may also lead to an abuse of complaints and accusations, resulting in serious side effects," the statement said.
Park earlier said the opinions of the judiciary should be reflected in deliberations.
"During the bills' deliberation process, there is a need to reflect the opinions of the judiciary, which directly handles trials," Park, who also serves as a Supreme Court justice, said in the meeting's opening remarks.
Source: Korea Times News
