Tough times for chief justice

Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae, left, takes a moment of silence yesterday at a meeting of senior judges at the Supreme Court in Seoul. At the meeting, 31 heads of district and high courts discussed major pending issues, including how to respond to liberal judges using social networking services to express their opposition to the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement.

In his opening remarks, Yang insinuated that judges should refrain from making public their personal opinions. “Judges should always cultivate and reflect upon themselves with a cautious and prudent attitude,” he said.

Kim Ha-neul, a senior judge of the Incheon District Court, said yesterday that he would ask the chief justice to form a task force to review whether the FTA infringes upon Korea’s legal sovereignty. [YONHAP]