South Korea has launched its first-ever bid to nominate a judge to the International Court of Justice, colloquially known as the world court, which is the only body that settles disputes between the 193 UN member states.
Paik Jin-hyun, a former president and judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and a highly respected jurist, will run as a candidate in the ICJ election set for late 2026 for the 2027–2036 term, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul announced Thursday.
The Foreign Ministry highlighted the growing significance of the ICJ, which is one of the UN's six principal organs and has the authority to issue legally binding decisions in inter-state conflicts.
The ICJ not only adjudicates strictly legal matters but also addresses sensitive political and diplomatic conflicts, expanding its global influence and attracting greater international attention, according to the ministry.
“However, South Korea has never put forward a candidate for an ICJ judicial election; consequently, no South Korean judge has ever sat on the court. Judge Paik Jin-hyun is the first instance of a South Korean seeking a judgeship at the ICJ,” a senior Foreign Ministry official said on condition of anonymity during a closed-door briefing on Thursday.
“The Foreign Ministry has long considered seeking a seat on the ICJ. Considering the advancement of South Korea in terms of democracy and the rule of law, the government has recognized the need to contribute in a way that reflects the country's global standing and status in the field of international law.”
The ICJ is composed of 15 judges who serve nine-year terms, with elections being conducted every three years to replace five judges simultaneously. Judges are also eligible for re-election.
Five seats on the ICJ will become vacant in the 2026 election, and as of Wednesday, eight countries, including France, Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Singapore and the United Kingdom, have declared their candidacy for the ICJ election, with prospects for further nominations from other countries.
ICJ candidates are officially nominated by national groups of jurists elected under the Permanent Court of Arbitration system, which submits candidates to the UN Secretary-General.
Then, the UN General Assembly and the Security Council vote together to elect the judges simultaneously. A candidate must secure an absolute majority in the General Assembly and the Security Council to be elected.
"Judge Paik Jin-hyun is the best candidate to serve as an ICJ judge as an international law expert with abundant experience in international arbitrations and an academic background," the unnamed Foreign Ministry official said.
Paik, a professor emeritus of Seoul National University, served as a judge on the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) from 2009 to 2023 and a three-year term as president of ITLOS from 2017 to 2020.
Paik has been involved in a number of high-profile inter-state arbitration cases, either as presiding judge or as a panel member. Paik, for instance, served as the presiding judge of ITLOS's Special Chamber in the Mauritius-Maldives case, as a judge in the Italy-India case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), and has been presiding judge in the Ukraine-Russia case at the PCA since 2017.
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to international law, Paik has been the only South Korean lifetime member of the Institut de Droit International, or Institute of International Law, since 2015.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
