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| ▲ Park Young-jae, head of the National Court Administration, attends a meeting of chief judges nationwide at the Supreme Court in southern Seoul on Feb. 25, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
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Senior judicial official says DP-led judicial reform bills should reflect judiciary's opinion
SEOUL, Feb. 25 (Yonhap) -- A senior judicial official said Wednesday that the opinions of the judiciary should be reflected in deliberations for controversial judicial reform bills pushed by the ruling Democratic Party (DP).
Park Young-jae, head of the National Court Administration, made the remarks in a meeting of chief judges nationwide convened in response to the three DP-led bills that have met strong opposition from the judiciary.
The three bills are designed to establish a new crime of "legal distortion," allow constitutional appeals for court cases, and increase the number of Supreme Court justices from the current 14 to 26.
"During the bills' deliberation process, there is a need to reflect the opinions of the judiciary, which directly handle trials," Park, who also serves as a Supreme Court justice, said in the meeting's opening remarks.
The gathering is aimed at discussing the judiciary's response to the bills, which await to be voted at parliament.
The DP seeks to introduce the bill on "legal distortion" offense during a plenary session Wednesday.
Under the bill, judges or prosecutors can be punished with a maximum prison term of 10 years if they intentionally apply wrong legislation in cases, destroy, conceal or tamper with evidence, or recognize criminal acts without evidence.
The judiciary has voiced opposition to the bill, arguing that the proposed offense is based on subjective elements and that the bill, if passed, could undermine its independence.
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