대한민국의 사법개혁 현황과 전망 = Judicial Reform in Korea: Its Current State and Future Prospects for Development

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper begins with an in-depth review of the progress made during the decades that preceded the current state of Korean judicial reform. Specifically, the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s are examined, and prospects for future judicial reform are also discussed.
Through bipartisan agreements and the national referendum in 1987, a Constitutional amendment was ratified as a result of the democratization movements of the 1980s, prompting vigorous discussion of judicial reform in the 1990s. Voices for judicial reform intensified when President Kim Young-sam took office in 1993 with the agenda of instituting what was referred to as a “civilian government.” During this time, there was strong public demand for “judicial democratization,” which called for the elimination of non-democratic and authoritarian elements within the judiciary and a guarantee of civil rights.
Comprehensive judicial reform was initiated when the judiciary itself created the Committee on Judicial System Development. This occurred after Chief Justice Yun Kwan took office in 1993, two years before the centennial of the modern Korean judicial system. The ensuing accomplishments included the establishment of specialized courts, such as the Patent Court and the Administrative Court, and the introduction of substantive review of arrest and detention warrants. President Roh Moo-hyun’s administration, inaugurated in 2003, called itself a “participatory government” and encouraged participation in government activities. The President and the judiciary organized the Cooperative Committee on Judicial Reform and the Presidential Committee on Judicial Reform. Through these vigorous reform initiatives, citizen participation in criminal trials was introduced through the adoption of a form of jury system.
In addition, the Sentencing Commission was set up in the Supreme Court, and the law school system was launched, bringing drastic changes to the legal system. In 2010, the National Assembly launched the Special Committee on Judicial Reform with bipartisan support. The Committee presented various reform measures, including the law clerk system and a gradual shift from the current judicial appointment system to a recruitment system based on legal experience. Since Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae took office in 2011, efforts have been made to continue to improve the Korean judicial system in diverse ways, including the appointment of judges from among legal professionals with a certain number of years of legal experience; increased promotion of communication between courts and the public; consolidation of jurisdictions of patent examination cases and patent infringement cases; opening of the Judicial Policy Research Institute; and creating of the bankruptcy court.
In summary, the judicial reform measures of the past twoplus decades have focused primarily on the following three goals: (1) improving litigation procedures; (2) increasing citizen participation in the judicial process, and (3) promoting judicial expertise. Remaining challenges include: (1) improving the final appeal system; and (2) enhancing public confidence in the judiciary further.

국문 초록 (Abstract)

본고는 대한민국의 사법개혁의 진행경과를 1990년대, 2000년대, 2010년대 등 시기별로 나누어 구체적으로 살펴보고, 그동안 추진한 사법개혁의 성과를 정리하며, 향후 추진할 과제에 관하여 검토한다.
대한민국은 1980년대 민주화운동의 결과 1987년 여·야합의 및 국민투표를 통해 헌법 개정이 이루어졌고, 그 직후인 1990년대부터 사법개혁에 관한 논의가 본격적으로 시작되었다. 1993년 문민정부를 표방한 김영삼 대통령이 취임하면서 사법에 있어서의 비민주적·권위주의적 요소를 타파하고 국민의 기본권을 보장하여 민주적 질서를 확립할 수 있는 ‘사법의 민주화’에 대한 요청이 높았다.
1993년 윤관 대법원장의 취임 이후, 사법부는 근대사법 100주년에 즈음하여 사법부 주도로 ‘사법제도발전위원회’를 구성하여 사법제도 전 영역에 걸쳐 사법개혁 작업을 시작하였고, 그 결과 특허법원과 행정법원이 설치되고, 구속영장실질심사제도가 도입되는 등의 성과를 거두었다. 2003년 참여정부를 표방한 노무현 대통령의 취임 이후 대통령과 사법부가 협력하여 구성한 ‘사법개혁위원회’와 ‘사법제도개혁추진위원회’의 적극적인 활동을 통하여 국민의 형사재판참여제도, 양형위원회의 설치, 법학전문대학원 제도의 도입 등과 같은 획기적인 변화를 이끌어낼 수 있었다. 2010년에는 국회 ‘사법제도개혁특별위원회’가 구성되었고, 그 논의에 따라 재판연구원제도가 도입되고 단계적 법조일원화가 시행되었다. 2011년 양승태 대법원장 취임 이후에도 법조일원화와 평생법관제의 확립, 특허소송 관할집중, 사법정책연구원 설립, 도산전문법원 설치 등 사법제도 개선 노력을 하였다.
이처럼 지난 20여 년간 추진된 대한민국의 사법개혁은 ① 재판제도의 개선, ② 국민 참여의 확대, ③ 전문성 강화 등 3가지 측면에서 상당한 성과를 거두었다. 최근에는 상고심 제도 개선, 국민의 사법신뢰도 제고 등이 남겨진 과제로 논의되고 있다.

참고문헌 (Reference)

1 "2016년 사법개혁 동향" 대만 법무부 사법관학원 2016