Nominee hit for failing to grip 'reality'

Park Jung-hwa

By Lee Kyung-min

Park Jung-hwa, President Moon Jae-in’s pick as one of the 13 Supreme Court justices, was grilled, Tuesday, over what political parties deemed an “out of touch with reality” attitude.

At the confirmation hearing at the National Assembly, Rep. Kim Byung-wook of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) asked Park to express her opinion on the customary practice of “respecting former high-ranking public officials” in the judicial circle. Under the long-held practice, often cited as a major social ill to be eliminated, courts have ruled in favor of cases defended by former prosecutors or judges for the first few years after they began working as lawyers following retirement.

Park said she had never heard of such a practice, drawing ire from the DPK and oppositions parties alike.

“In my 26 years as a judge, I have never experienced, nor have I heard anyone that benefitted from such a practice,” Park said.

“As I have never experienced it, I think no such practice exists in the judiciary as a whole. But I know that public opinion differs from my view. I know of the continued efforts made by courts to dispel such a perception,” she added.

Rep. Lee Chan-yeol of the People’s Party criticized her for not acknowledging such a “prevalent” practice, pointing out her reluctance to publicly give an honest account about what she believed.

Lee said, “Do you think you could sit through the hearing and keep denying what is almost public knowledge simply because you never experienced it? Do you think that someone with your attitude is qualified to become the Supreme Court justice?”

Such a narrow-minded perception, Lee added, needed to be corrected because the post requires being held accountable for the judiciary as a whole.

Rep. Kim Jong-min of DPK said the public would ask whether Park is qualified to lead the judiciary.

“People are well aware of how the problematic practice has long ailed the country. If you continue to deny it, it is inevitable for the people to question whether you could uphold and safeguard the will of the public,” Kim said.

Meanwhile, Park agreed that the Office of Administration (OCA) under the Supreme Court abused its power in its attempt to scale down or delay a judges-only academic forum.

“I offer my apology as a member of the judiciary. I hope the controversy about the issue gets resolved,” Park said.

Last month, more than 100 judges convened a meeting to protest an alleged move by the OCA to create a “blacklist of judges” to suppress voices critical of Supreme Court chief justice and court administration.