Chief justice has wanted judges’ group to disband

Chief Justice Lee Yong-hoon has for some time wanted the Society for Research on Our Law to be dissolved, a senior Supreme Court official told the JoongAng Ilbo yesterday as concerns rise over the political burden brought on by the research group of liberal judges. The revelation comes as the nation is split over the latest series of alleged “left-leaning” verdicts by the judiciary.

“Chief Justice Lee of the Supreme Court wants the Society for Research on Our Law to disband,” said the official. “At his confirmation hearing in 2005, Lee spoke about his negative view of the society, and his position has remained unchanged.

“It’s not because the society has an ideological leaning, but because it is burdensome to the judiciary,” he added. “Lee wants it to be dissolved as soon as possible.”

The source said the society is well aware of Lee’s position.

“Some mid-level judges with expertise have talked about disbanding the group, but young judges are opposed to it, arguing that they have done nothing wrong,” he said. “The chief justice, however, cannot order them to disband. All he can do is speak about his negative position. The society’s members should decide the group’s fate.”

Another official at the Supreme Court said the judiciary’s independence won’t be infringed upon by the society’s disbandment.

“If the members really want to do pure academic research, they can join the existing societies on constitutional research and labor law studies,” the source said. “It is, however, a separate issue to think about whether judges with specific political inclinations will disappear or not when the Society for Research on Our Law is dissolved.”

The society was established in 1988 during the Roh Tae-woo administration in protest to the president’s decision to retain Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Young-chul from the previous Chun Doo Hwan regime. About 430 judges joined the group at the time, and their move eventually led to Kim’s resignation.

“Many of the old members left and young judges are more active these days,” said one judge at the Seoul High Court. “Because they had not been selected to serve in key posts or engaged in external activities, they probably see no issue with the society.”

The society today is said to have about 130 members, but the list of the members has not been made public.

Meanwhile, Oh Jae-seong, senior judge of the Suwon District Court and the head of the society, told the
JoongAng Ilbo that the conservatives’ demand that the group be disbanded is nothing new, adding that the group will continue its research activities without being bothered.

“When the society publishes a research publication this year and makes public the names of its members, a significant portion of misunderstanding about our group will disappear,” Oh said.

“Many of the members are young, so it is possible that the society has more liberal judges,” Oh said, adding “we are not significant enough to set a certain tone inside the judiciary.”

Oh also rejected the conservatives’ argument that the society was behind the latest series of what they called the “left-leaning” verdicts. He said the group did not pull the wires.

By Park Sung-woo, Ser Myo-ja [myoja@joongang.co.kr]