National Assembly passes bill allowing increase in number of Supreme Court justices

A bill on increasing the number of Supreme Court justices was passed at a plenary session of the National Assembly in Seoul, Saturday. Yonhap

Led by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the National Assembly passed a bill Saturday to nearly double the number of justices at the top court.

Following the passage of the bill in a 173-73 vote, the number of Supreme Court justices will jump from the current 14 to 26 over a three-year period, starting in 2028, two years after promulgation.

President Lee Jae Myung will appoint 22 of 26 justices on his watch — 12 new justices and 10 justices to replace those whose terms will end during Lee’s presidency.

The bill was one of three judicial reform bills the ruling party pushed to pass in February. One such bill, which criminalizes “legal distortion,” passed the National Assembly, Thursday, and the second bill, which allows the Constitutional Court to review lower court rulings, followed Friday after a filibuster by the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).

The bill on raising the number of Supreme Court justices was also met with strong objection from the PPP, which accused the DPK of attempting to undermine the independence of the judiciary and filling the courts with justices favorable to the ruling camp.

The DPK countered that all three reform bills will better protect people’s rights.

The PPP has also claimed the bills are intended to shield Lee from his five criminal trials, which have been suspended following his presidential election last year.

PPP lawmakers showed up wearing black masks and held up signs that read, “Destruction of Judiciary, Completion of Dictatorship,” in protest.