Chief Justice Jo cites King Sejong, warns against politicizing judiciary amid insurrection tribunal controversy
Published: 22 Sep. 2025, 17:47
Updated: 22 Sep. 2025, 19:45
![Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de speaks during the opening address at the 2025 Sejong International Judicial Conference, held at the Shilla Hotel in Jung District, central Seoul, on Sept. 22. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/09/22/8b250ccc-c05d-48c7-994f-c94fb28a0786.jpg)
Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de speaks during the opening address at the 2025 Sejong International Judicial Conference, held at the Shilla Hotel in Jung District, central Seoul, on Sept. 22. [YONHAP]
Invoking King Sejong the Great’s centuries-old vision of justice, Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de on Monday warned that the law must remain a shield for the people, not a tool of political power.
“King Sejong the Great [1397-1450] regarded the law not as a tool to strengthen royal authority, but as a normative foundation to improve people’s lives and protect their rights,” Jo said in his opening address at the 2025 Sejong International Judicial Conference, held at the Shilla Hotel in Jung District, central Seoul.
“His philosophy of justice, centered on the people, transcends time and aligns with the values of justice we must uphold today.”
His remarks came as the ruling Democratic Party’s push to establish a special tribunal on insurrection has sparked constitutional controversy.
“Even amid rapidly changing times, I hope we can firmly uphold the spirit of the rule of law and judicial independence, and share a future where justice and fairness remain alive.”
The conference, organized by the Supreme Court for the first time in nine years, took place as part of preparations for the Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific, scheduled to take place in Korea in September 2026.
For this two-day event, top justices and judges from approximately 10 countries discussed four themes: the rule of law and judicial independence, improving access to justice, AI and the judiciary, and the protection of intellectual property rights.
In his 40-minute keynote, Jo emphasized King Sejong’s role as a jurist who codified unified laws, made legal texts accessible to the public to prevent punishment due to ignorance of the law, and required clear records of criminal investigations and trials to prevent unjust outcomes or delays. He also noted that Sejong restricted torture and excessive punishment and sought to prevent prisoners from dying due to heat, cold or disease.
![Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de, center, takes part in the 2025 Sejong International Judicial Conference, held at the Shilla Hotel in Jung District, central Seoul, on Sept. 22. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/09/22/ee7a6b89-a59f-4344-9f53-7bbc7cd65420.jpg)
Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de, center, takes part in the 2025 Sejong International Judicial Conference, held at the Shilla Hotel in Jung District, central Seoul, on Sept. 22. [YONHAP]
On hangul, Jo said the Korean script was “an institutional device embodying the spirit of the rule of law.”
He cited scholar Jeong In-ji’s account that King Sejong once said, “If lawsuits are recorded in ‘Hunminjeongeum’ [the 1446 book about how hangul was created], the circumstances can be fully understood.”
He also recalled an anecdote in which King Sejong rejected an official’s opposition to hangul, explaining that if capital punishment rulings were written in the old Chinese-character-based script, even a single mistake could cause an illiterate commoner to face wrongful execution.
During the event, Jo gave attendees a brief lesson on hangul, projecting the 17 consonants and 11 vowels and explaining their creation principles based on the philosophy of heaven, earth and humanity. His quip that “learning hangul is so easy that it quickly reveals whether or not someone is intelligent” drew laughter from the audience.
He also highlighted Sejong’s guarantee of maternity leave even for slaves as an example of inclusive justice, stressing the need to ensure that “law truly applies equally to all people and that the rights of the socially vulnerable and minorities are practically guaranteed.”
He concluded by calling on legal professionals to “restore humanity based on King Sejong’s compassion,” noting that the law deals with matters of life, body and property.
Attendees at the 2025 Sejong International Judicial Conference included chief justices and judges from Singapore, Japan, China, the Philippines, Australia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, South Africa, Mongolia and Kazakhstan.
Tomoko Akane, president of the International Criminal Court, former ICC heads, and senior officials from the World Bank and the OECD were also present. Supreme Court Justices Kwon Young-joon and Lee Sook-yeon gave presentations in English on King Sejong’s role as a judicial pioneer and the impact of AI on the judicial system.
BY CHOI SEO-IN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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