Rep. Baek Hye-ryun (second from left), chair of the Democratic Party’s Special Committee on Judicial Reform, speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on Monday, alongside party leader Rep. Jung Chung-rae (center) and Rep. Kim Byung-kee (fourth from left). (Yonhap)
Rep. Baek Hye-ryun (second from left), chair of the Democratic Party’s Special Committee on Judicial Reform, speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on Monday, alongside party leader Rep. Jung Chung-rae (center) and Rep. Kim Byung-kee (fourth from left). (Yonhap)

South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Monday unveiled its first draft of a judiciary reform plan, proposing to increase the number of Supreme Court justices from 14 to 26. If enacted, the reform would allow President Lee Jae Myung to appoint a majority of the bench by the end of his term.

According to the party, the new system is intended to take effect one year after enactment, with four new justices added each year over three years.

Currently, the Supreme Court comprises 14 justices — 12 of whom were appointed under former President Yoon Suk Yeol between 2022 and 2024. But if the expansion is completed, only four of them will remain by the end of President Lee’s term in June 2030, making his appointees a clear majority on the bench. Each Supreme Court justice serves a six-year term.

The plan also calls for diversifying the composition of the Supreme Court Justice Recommendation Committee, introducing a judicial performance evaluation system, expanding public access to lower court rulings, and adopting a pre-hearing procedure for search and seizure warrants.

While the proposal does not include allowing the Constitutional Court to review Supreme Court judgments, Democratic Party leader Rep. Jung Chung-rae said the party leadership plans to introduce a separate bill on the issue.

“It’s necessary to allow the Constitutional Court to review court judgments in order to protect citizens’ rights and ensure proper constitutional remedies,” Jung said during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul.

The judiciary reform draft was released a week after the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee — where the Democratic Party holds a majority of nine members, including the chair, Rep. Choo Mi-ae — grilled Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de over allegations that he intentionally remanded a case through a full bench meeting in May ahead of the June 3 election. The case involved an election law violation by Lee Jae Myung, who was then the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate.

The Supreme Court's full bench requires the participation of at least two-thirds of all justices. Twelve justices, including Jo, joined the May session, with 10 — all appointed under the Yoon administration — voting to remand Lee’s case to a lower court.


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