Top court to overhaul jury system

By Yi Whan-woo

The Supreme Court said Sunday that it will form a committee Thursday to overhaul the jury system that was introduced in 2008 on an experimental basis.

The court said the 13-member committee will discuss how to develop a Korean-style jury system to promote lay participation in trials.

The country adopted the system, better known as “citizens’ participation in trials,” to build trust in a judiciary that has often been criticized for a lack of fairness and objectiveness in making rulings.

The system has allowed selected citizens aged 20 and older to play a part in criminal trials since January 2008.

It is similar to the one under Anglo-American law, which is practiced in the United States and England. The jury makes a verdict and based on it, judges hand down the sentence.

The system also partly resembles that of Germany and France that allows the jury to discuss the case with the judge and also intervene in the court’s ruling, including prison sentences.

The committee members will include judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and law professors.

The head of the committee will be chosen by Chief Justice Yang Seung-tae.

The 13 will revamp the structure of the current jury system to rectify its shortcomings and devise a better one that will best fit Korea’s legal characteristics.

Its members will also exchange ideas on whether to extend the jury system to all criminal cases. Currently, the court only allows the jury to participate in a case when a defendant requests it.

The number of jury trials totaled 574 between 2008 and 2011, and the number is increasing, a court official said.

The first case under the system was in February, 2008. A 27-year-old defendant, surnamed Lee, asked the Daegu District Court for a trial under the participatory system after he was indicted for trespassing and assault.