Bribery of judges
Only stern discipline restores popular trust in judiciary
Koreans no longer have much faith in the integrity of politicians and bureaucrats, but most thought judges were different. Shattering such an illusion was the unprecedented “emergency arrest” Tuesday of an incumbent judge on bribe-taking charges.
A prosecutor-turned-judge at the Suwon District Court is suspected of receiving 260 million won ($238,000) from a well-known private moneylender in Seoul, and asking one of his former colleagues to go soft with the loan shark over his drug-related charges. Choi Min-ho, 43, reportedly has admitted to most of these charges.
This is not just shocking, but dejecting, in that the toadstool named corruption has reached the last bastion of justice and trust in Korean society.
Choi is not the first judge who has tainted the judiciary’s image. In 2006, the Seoul High Court’s head judge was punished for taking 100 million won related to a case he was handling. However, because the head judge resigned and became a private citizen before his indictment, Choi, who is younger and at a lower rank, suffers the ignominy of becoming the first sitting judge charged with corruption.
A recurrence should never have been allowed to happen again after the 2006 case; the Supreme Court should therefore take the most responsibility.
It was last April that Choi was targeted for investigation, triggered by a tip-off from the mistress of the money broker. Instead of taking him out of work until the suspicions were cleared, the top court defended the judge, while accusing media outlets of publishing stories without confirming them. Even now, court officials are busy avoiding the blame, citing that they had no authority to investigate. This is nothing more than the court’s protection of the “judicial family.”
The prosecution was little different, dragging its feet for nine months, apparently in consideration of the difficulties one of their former “family members” was undergoing. Also not to be ignored is the suspicion that some prosecution investigators and police officers are involved in bribery scandals related to this and many other cases. The predatory lender, nicknamed the “loan shark king” and is now in prison for fraudulent gambling, reportedly used to say he was “managing” scores of judges, investigators and police officers.
In a worst-case scenario, this latest incident could grow into another major scandal that reaches every corner of the law enforcement machine. In order to root out the possible “cartel of darkness,” the judiciary branch must deal sternly with violators. Currently, judges do not lose their seats unless they are imprisoned, or are impeached by the National Assembly.
This is why the Supreme Court should not pass this incident over by just suspending Choi; he should be jailed. Failing that, the parliament will have to impeach him, a punishment in the name of the people.
At stake is nothing less than the public’s confidence in the entire judiciary, or the justice system itself. How can Koreans expect fair trials from judges who receive money from the people who could stand before them in the courts?