Anarchy prevails in courtrooms

Shouts were heard from a courtroom in the Gunsan branch of the Jeonju District Court when guards hurriedly escorted a man out through the back door.

The man, surnamed Choi, was taken into custody for contempt of court during his trial on March 4. He was charged for screaming, not to mention lowering his pants to expose his genitals to the judge.

Choi was objecting to the drinking and driving charges for which he received a fine during a summary proceeding. The man admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol, but protested that the fine was too severe, citing an injury to his genitals due to the accident he caused, court officials said.

"He insisted that the judge examine the actual wound and reconsider the amount of the fine," said a judge of the Gunsan branch. "While protesting, he suddenly jumped up from his seat and pulled down his pants."

Choi was immediately restrained but the trial had to be delayed.

"The action caused even more commotion as the ruling judge happened to be female," added the judge who requested anonymity. "I think that the gender of the judge may have encouraged Choi to be more drastic."

Choi`s episode is one of the rapidly increasing cases of court commotion. Trials are often interrupted by defendants who shout, swear and throw objects to express their indignation.

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A total of 46 court disturbance cases occured between January and August this year, according to a report recently submitted by the Supreme Court to a lawmaker of the ruling Grand National Party. It reflected a surge from the 26 and 31 cases in 2006 and 2007, respectively.

"The public`s respect for the legal order is rapidly diminishing," said Jang Nak-won, a judge of the Incheon District Court. "The court may have to come up with countermeasures such as reinforcing the court guard crew, but the key to solving the problem is the public acknowledgment of the court authority."

Not only is the number of court disturbances increasing, but they have taken a more intense and diverse turn.

Among the 46 cases so far this year, 19 cases were simple commotions, mostly violent protests from the concerned parties. Instances of court contempt and medical emergencies followed, each with 11 cases. Other examples were of escape attempts and self-injury.

On April 8 in the Seoul Central District Court, the accused, surnamed Park, knocked his head on the desk and scraped his cheek with the broken rim of his glasses to show his protest toward a judge.

A court guard immediately restrained Park, preventing him from inflicting further harm on himself.

In the Incheon District Court later that month, another defendant named Kim fled from the court, abandoning his two children who were sitting in the audience. Kim was in a divorce trial filed by his wife, who had earlier left him citing his violent behavior and failure to support his family.

It is also common for defendants to throw objects at the judge`s seat in protest, mostly shoes, umbrellas and eggs. In a civil case in July 2006, two defendants threw eggs and a bag of feces at the judicial seats in the Chuncheon District Court, criticizing the judgment.

Both were arrested for interfering with execution of public affairs and received six-month sentences in prison.

Oral and physical violence, such as screaming and damaging court properties, is frequent.

Some people have gone further.

In the Uijeongbu District Court in 2006, a defendant named Yoon set himself on fire in a courtroom. After being ordered to leave the court for causing a commotion, he came back with paraffin oil, poured it over himself and lit it on fire.

The flame was extinguished but Yoon died in the hospital.

In the same year, a man named Kim drank herbicide in the courtroom of the Cheonan branch of the Daejeon District Court after his divorce settlement failed. He died soon after arriving at a nearby hospital.



By Bae Hyun-jung



(tellme@heraldm.com)