35 court heads meet over 'judiciary abuse'

By Lee Kyung-min

Thirty-five heads of courts nationwide met Thursday over a “judiciary abuse” allegation that the Supreme Court under the leadership of former chief justice Yang Sung-tae drafted documents to deliver verdicts on politically sensitive trials in exchange for the establishment of what would have been a de facto “Second Supreme Court.” This was Yang's top initiative to help lower the workload of top court justices and help many senior judges nearing retirement retain their prestigious high-ranking public posts longer.

Officials at the Office of Court Administration (OCA) under the top court are alleged to have made detailed plans to curry favor with the 2013-17 Park Geun-hye administration, evidenced by 410 documents in computers used by only a handful of OCA officials reviewed by an internal committee, after two earlier bodies were denied access.

In a meeting at the Supreme Court, the 35 heads of district and high courts exchanged views on a possible criminal investigation of related figures, and the expected far-reaching implications and consequences. OCA head Ahn Chul-sang, one of 14 Supreme Court justices and the central figure who has broad authority and discretion in the ongoing committee activities, left shortly after the meeting began. The key points of deliberation will be delivered to the Supreme Court chief justice Kim Myeong-su.

The group of senior judges is highly likely to oppose any further investigation _ much less the prosecution's involvement _ out of the concern that it could set a “bad precedent” in which investigative officials intervene in judicial proceedings, an incident that could heavily undermine judicial authority. However, liberal judges deem it a “necessary evil” to completely sever ties from past misdeeds.

The meeting of the mostly conservative judicial figures is the latest of similar conferences scheduled throughout this week. On Monday, judges at the Seoul Central District Court held meetings for three groups of similar ranking officials. The 340 of the country's approximately 2,900 judges deliberated over whether to recommend a criminal investigation or a further internal audit into the allegation for “due accountability,” amid prevalent public distrust coupled with a shared sense of outrage.

The nation's largest court which reviews the highest-profile cases urged a thorough investigation as well as harsh punishment for the figures involved, further cornering chief justice Kim who is under increasing pressure to clearly disavow past wrongdoings as part of his pledge toward long overdue “judicial reform.” Next Monday, a group of young liberal judges that have long advocated judicial reform are scheduled to meet.

Considering the largely expected political inclination of the two age- and rank-divided groups, Kim is expected to heed the recommendations from a discussion organized by a separate body comprised of outside experts from academia, advocacy groups and the legal circle.

Yang, who twice rejected the committee's request for questioning over his knowledge of the allegation, denied involvement in and knowledge of the alleged efforts undertaken by OCA officials. It was a move considered to claim plausible deniability in the detailed plan on exchanging verdicts favorable to the Park administration in return for “advancing the chief justice's agenda.”