[앵커]
In order to decentralize the powers of the Chief Justice, the ‘Chief Judge Candidate Recommendation System’, in which candidates for the Chief Justice are recommended by the vote of judges, has recently been controversial.
It was transformed into a popularity vote, and internal criticism of the achievements of Supreme Court Chief Kim Myung-soo at the end of his term followed.
Reporter Choi Min-ki pointed out.
[기자]
Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo, who was inaugurated in 2017 when controversy inside and outside the judiciary was growing over the authority of the Supreme Court Chief Justice, emphasized’judicial reform’ to lay down authority from the beginning of his term.
[김명수 / 대법원장(2017년 취임 당시) : 대법원장이 사법부의 정점에 홀로 서 있는 것이 아니라 늘 구성원들과 어울려 함께 소통하는 모습에서부터 사법부의 새로운 변화는 시작될 것입니다.]
Against this background, the ‘Chairman Candidate Recommendation System’ was introduced in 2019.
The recommendation system is a system in which the judges directly recommend candidates for the chief justice by voting, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court appoints the final candidate.
It changed the previous structure in which the Chief Justice directly appointed the Chief Justice.
The recommendation system for the head of the court is expected to be expanded to 20 courts nationwide next year.
Controversy erupted as it was raised that all candidates for the Seoul Central District Court, the largest court in the country, were close personnel to Supreme Court Chief Kim Myung-soo.
One of them was recommended as a candidate for the head of the court in the Cheongju Court, and the loopholes in the system were exposed.
On the court’s internal network, criticisms of the recommendation system being a popular vote and the Supreme Court’s unreasonable ‘beaten egg’ came up, and open opposition began to be expressed.
[노동일 / 경희대 법학전문대학원 교수 : 사법부를 선출되지 않은 권력으로 구성한 이유가 있는 거거든요. 판사라고 하는 다수의 눈치를 보는 그런 권력이 탄생하지 않을까 우려되는 거죠.]
It was pointed out that the Supreme Court Chief Justice can appoint a chief judge regardless of the recommendation ranking, but it does not fit the purpose of dispersing powers.
At the National Judges Representative Meeting held on the 5th,
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court decided on the agenda that the recommendation results of the Court Recommendation Committee should be respected as much as possible unless there is an objective reason, revealing internal concerns in recent controversies.
[전주혜 / 국민의힘 의원(지난 7일) : 지금 3배수에서 (법원장을) 마음대로 뽑을 수 있고요, 대법원장이 입맛에 맞게. (일부 법원장은) 아예 3배수에 없는 사람을 뽑았어요.]
[이탄희 / 더불어민주당 의원(지난 7일) : 전국법관대표회의 의결 사항 취지대로 법원장 추천제를 보완하거나 강화하는 방안을 검토할 계획이 있으십니까?]
[김형두 / 법원행정처 차장((지난 7일) : 건의를 해왔기 때문에 저희가 추가검토를 할 것입니다.]
The Court Administration Office plans to supplement the implementation of the system by accepting the opinions and subsequent criticisms from the judges’ representative meeting.
It is a policy promoted with the goal of dispersing the powers of the Supreme Court Chief Justice, but as related concerns have continued within the court, the argument that the system needs to be carefully reviewed from the point of view before expansion is strengthened.
This is YTN Choi Min-ki.
YTN Minki Choi ([email protected])
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