South Korea names Roh Kyung-pil as new court administration chief

Lawmakers weigh bill to abolish National Court Administration

Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae on Friday appointed Justice Roh Kyung-pil to lead the National Court Administration, filling a vacancy that had lasted about four months, the Supreme Court announced. Roh, 62, will begin his term Tuesday.

The head of the National Court Administration oversees personnel and budgets for courts nationwide. The chief justice appoints the official from among sitting Supreme Court justices, and the justice does not handle trials while serving in the post.

The position had been vacant since Justice Park Young-jae tendered his resignation on Feb. 27. Deputy Head Ki Woo-jong had served as acting chief in the interim.

Roh, a native of Haenam, South Jeolla Province, began his judicial career as a judge at the Seoul District Court in 1997. He later served as a Supreme Court research judge, Seoul High Court judge, presiding judge at the Gwangju High Court, and presiding judge and senior presiding judge at the Suwon High Court. He was appointed to the Supreme Court on Aug. 2, 2024.

The Supreme Court said Roh is qualified for the post because of his “leadership of listening and inclusion,” stating he is suited to strengthen public trust in the judiciary by communicating with court members and broader society and working to build a swift and fair judicial system for the public.

With the vacancy resolved, attention is turning to whether stalled Supreme Court justice nominations will gain momentum. The Supreme Court justice candidate recommendation committee in January recommended four candidates to succeed former Justice Roh Tae-ak: Seoul High Court judges Kim Min-ki and Park Soon-young, Daegu District Court Presiding Judge Son Bong-gi and Seoul High Court Presiding Judge Yoon Seong-sik. No final recommendation has been made so far.

A separate selection process is also underway for a successor to Justice Lee Heung-gu, who is scheduled to retire in September. The Supreme Court on July 3 completed its review of public comments on 28 recommended candidates who agreed to be screened by the recommendation committee. If the committee recommends at least three candidates this month, Chief Justice Cho will select a final nominee and recommend the candidate to President Lee Jae Myung for appointment. The nominee would then go through a National Assembly confirmation hearing before final appointment.

The National Court Administration is also tied to one of the ruling party’s major judicial reform agendas. After legislation on three judicial reform measures — including criminalizing distorted application of the law, allowing constitutional complaints against court rulings and expanding the number of Supreme Court justices — a separate bill has been introduced to revise the Court Organization Act and abolish the National Court Administration.