The Supreme Court on Tuesday offered a brand new set of guidelines for judges using social network services that advised them to avoid from becoming part of social debates and to maintain their "dignity" as judges.
The guidelines came from the highest court's ethics committee, which was convened to deliberate possible penalties for a district judge who was recently referred to the committee for posting remarks on his Facebook account that were critical of the government.
The committee decided not to take any disciplinary measures against the district judge, instead offering guidelines for all judges.
"I understand the committee decided to offer recommendations for all judges instead of taking measures against one judge," a Supreme Court official said.
Still, the committe apparently found the judge partly at fault, noting "a judge must maintain his/her dignity through self-restraint and balanced views while expressing opinions."
Shortly after the ruling Grand National Party unilaterally passed a bill on the ratification of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement last Tuesday, the district court judge in the western port city of Incheon wrote on his Facebook page that he will never forget the day "when the president, pro-America to the core, and his trade officials sold the nation and the lives of its people."
The ethics committee said, "A judge must act carefully to make sure he/she is not placed at the center of a social issue, and also does not create an appearance for one's self that could be believed to have jeopardized his/her ruling in a case." (Yonhap)