Rising Concerns on South Korea’s judicial independence causing distortions in Comfort Women case

South Korea rule of law under attack following Moon Jae-in’s election in 2017.

South Korea ‘s judiciary has come under heavy political pressure many accused the moon administration of weakening the courts to support their political agenda.

Moon nominated a new chief justice to the supreme court Kim Meong-soo. He was loyal to Moon but had practically no qualifications for the job, this chief justice then moved to pack the Supreme

court with other political loyalists until they achieved a majority. Then, the persecutions and purges began.

Under Moon’s banner slogan of eradicating old evils they arrested the former chief justice of the Supreme court, a historic first judges are now under significant pressure. They are routinely threatened and harassed for political reasons. They call this process shin san tolki which is like doxing or public shaming one judge who sentenced an ally of Moon to two years in prison was viciously targeted by the President’s supporters. They published names photos and addresses of family members online, in an attempt to pressure him. Moon’s government has also weakened the

powers of independent prosecutors.

Prosecutor general Yoon Sokku was forced to resign in protest judges now face regular harassment and sometimes jail if they fail to conform to the government’s wishes weakened judicial independence is also producing problematic rulings which do not conform to the law.

2018 the Supreme Court issued a ruling on wartime laborers which was followed by another lower court ruling on Korean comfort women against Japan. These politicized decisions illegally

breached a bilateral agreement and violated customary international law on state immunity. The collapse of rule of law in South Korea is not only harming the country’s diplomatic relations but also it damages the country’s reputation as a normal functioning democracy.

Will South Korea and citizens be able to stand up for rule of law or will Moon succeed in transforming the country into a China-style judicial system ?

Time is running out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAnn8GPvkV4&t=32s&ab_channel=AsianHistoryChannel