Retirement Ceremony of Chief Justice Kim Myeong-soo: Reflections, Legacy, and Controversies

2023-09-22 14:52:52
Chief Justice Kim Myeong-soo of the Supreme Court is singing the national anthem at the retirement ceremony held at the Central Hall of the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 22nd. Chief Justice Kim’s six-year term, which took office on September 25, 2017, officially ends on the 24th. Newsis

The retirement ceremony of Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo was held at 10 am on the 22nd in the central hall on the second floor of the Supreme Court building in Seocho-gu, Seoul. In his retirement address, he said, “I humbly accept that I have failed to meet the expectations of the people due to my insensitivity and limitations,” and added, “Please blame me for all my mistakes and scold me.”

About 200 people, including 13 Supreme Court justices and chief justices of various levels, attended the retirement ceremony. At the retirement ceremony of former Supreme Court Chief Justices Yang Seung-tae and Lee Yong-hoon, about 600 people attended. Chief Justice Kim said that there were Supreme Court justices who were unable to hold a retirement ceremony during the coronavirus pandemic and suggested that it be held in a simple manner.

After taking a commemorative photo, Chief Justice Kim shook hands with the attendees on both sides of the building’s entrance and said, “I trust you all and am leaving. “Thank you so much,” he said in his final greeting. It was different from the previous Chief Justices of the Supreme Court who left after greeting the employees lined up outside the building.

Chief Justice Kim, who received applause, waved once and got into the black Genesis official car. In front of it was a car carrying attendants and security personnel. As Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim and his party were leaving the main gate of the Supreme Court, the police deployed a large net in preparation for the 30 or so ‘condemn Kim Myung-soo’ protesters throwing objects.

Chief Justice Kim Myeong-soo of the Supreme Court is getting into a car while receiving applause after completing his retirement ceremony at the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 22nd. /Newsis

Chief Justice Kim was nominated as a candidate for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court by then-President Moon Jae-in six years ago, when he was Chief Justice of the Chuncheon District Court. He was the first head of the judiciary without a Supreme Court Justice in 49 years. The day after his nomination in August 2017, he came to the Supreme Court building from Chuncheon on foot, using an intercity bus and subway instead of an official car. Then he said, “I will show you what level a person who has only been conducting trials for 31 years and 5 months is at.”

However, in the legal world, there is an assessment that “Chief Justice Kim’s six years were ‘black history for the judiciary.’” Chief Justice Kim, who is the former president of the Korean Law Research Association and the International Human Rights Law Research Association, a group of progressive judges within the court, brought in the prosecution by accusing his predecessor, Yang Seung-tae of the judiciary, of corruption. Among the 13 justices of the Supreme Court, there were seven progressive justices, including those from the Woori Law, Human Rights Act, and Minbyun, and criticism of ‘biased appointments’ arose as those with Woori Law and Human Rights Law were assigned to key positions in the National Court Administration and the Supreme Court. He also abolished the promotion system for high court judges and introduced a system in which candidates for court president are selected by judges’ votes. The motivation to work hard disappeared and with no one to nag, the judges became lazy. ‘Trial delays’ have become more serious and the quality of judgment has deteriorated. Chief Justice Kim himself became the target of prosecution investigation after his lies to the National Assembly were discovered. One legal expert said, “Chief Justice Kim, who put on a ‘show’ at first, made a shabby exit.”

Throw an egg… Installation of a net – On the morning of the 22nd, when Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo retired from office, the police installed a net in front of the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul to prevent protesters from throwing eggs at Chief Justice Kim’s vehicle. /Newsis

In his retirement speech, Chief Justice Kim mentioned ‘good trials’, which he emphasized when he took office, 11 times. He said that although he faced a crisis due to the coronavirus, he turned it into an opportunity to expand the horizons of ‘good trials’ by expanding video trials. Regarding the issue of ‘trial delay’, he said, “A good trial is only completed when the people feel and acknowledge it. If the people suffer from delayed justice in the trial, the values ​​we have pursued will also lose their luster.” . At the same time, he commented, “The phenomenon of judicial administration’s superiority over trials is no longer found anywhere in the judiciary, and the internal independence of judges has been further consolidated.” Chief Judge Han said, “It makes no sense for Chief Justice Kim to mention ‘delayed justice’ when he neglected judicial administrative functions, resulting in ‘trial delays.’ I don’t know what a ‘good trial’ is.” He said, “It seems like he is ignoring the judiciary issues that occurred during his term.”

From 2017 to 2018, judges from the Korean Law and Human Rights Act, who were the mainstays of the ‘Kim Myung-soo Court’, raised suspicions of abuse of judicial administrative power and left the court. Former judges Lee Tan-hee and Lee Su-jin, who graduated from the Human Rights Law, and former judges Choi Ki-sang, who graduated from Our Law, left the court ahead of the last general election and became members of the Democratic Party. It is said that as the Human Rights Act received attention, some judges left the committee because they felt pressured. The Human Rights Act, which had about 460 members in 2021, is said to have recently decreased to less than 400. Chief Justice Kim’s term officially ends on the 24th.

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