The Judiciary Representative Meeting is also considering convening an early regular meeting this month... “Keep an eye on the external situation”

The National Conference of Judges, a meeting body of judges representing all levels of courts, is considering convening a special meeting this month or moving forward the regular meeting scheduled for the 7th of next month.

According to the legal community on the 4th, Kang Dong-won, chairman of the National Association of Judges (31st Judicial Research and Training Institute, Chief Judge of the Seoul Family Court), commented on a post on the court's internal network urging the holding of a special meeting, saying, "In case of urgent need, we are considering convening a special meeting or moving up the regular meeting scheduled for December 7 to November."

The National Judges' Representative Conference is a meeting of representative judges elected from all levels of courts and expresses opinions and makes suggestions regarding judicial administration and judicial independence.

The Steering Committee of the Judges’ Representative Conference announced the day before that it would hold a regular meeting on December 7th.

According to the rules of the National Association of Judges, regular meetings are held every year on the second Monday of April and the first Monday of December, but the meeting date can be changed if necessary.

As public opinion within the court grows that the court should speak out against the ruling party's push for a government investigation and pressure for Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae to resign, the meeting can be held earlier to hasten related discussions.

Chairman Kang also said, “The executive branch is monitoring all circumstances, including external situations, while listening to the various opinions of judges.”

The morning before the announcement of the convening of the regular meeting, Nam Jun-woo (34th class), Chief Judge of the Seoul Bankruptcy Court, posted an article on Courtnet titled ‘Silence means consent’ and urged the Judges’ Representative Council to hold an extraordinary meeting to deal with the Supreme Court justice re-recommendation situation.

Considering the time it takes from the announcement of the convocation of an extraordinary meeting to the holding of an extraordinary meeting, it was observed that related discussions could be continued during a regular meeting rather than holding an extraordinary meeting. In his comment, Chairman Kang also explained that in previous years, it took more than two weeks from the announcement of the convening of the extraordinary meeting to its holding.

On the 30th of last month, Judge Seong Chan-yong (44th class), Bucheon Branch of the Incheon District Court, criticized the ruling party's infringement on judicial independence and wrote, "We must stand up proudly to unfair attacks," and comments to the effect of sympathizing with it continued, from reputable judges to district court chief judges and court presidents.