[Editorial] A Retirement Speech for All ‘Powerful’ to Hear

Supreme Court justice Yu Ji Dam is moving a lot of people with his retirement speech as he leaves the bench after 35 years of service. Every line is filled with sharp self-reflection and is of a different character and scent the speeches given by other "esteemed gentlemen," who spent most of their time promoting their career accomplishments.

Most moving was the part about where he reflected on how the courts have neglected caring for the powerless in society. It makes you look back at yourself to hear him say that instead of doing everything "with the mindset that you are washing the feet of the person involved in the case" he lived comfortably "judicial authority." If you look around, are there not many people who get all proud of themselves for winning authority or position only to distain the powerless? The world is also full of people doing what they're supposed to but are under the "hallucination that they are doing something that provides great benevolence." Yu's humble self-reflection should be engraved on the hearts of all public servants and the powerful in our society, not just judges in the court system.

His speech also has important points for the judicial branch about facing up to issues of the past. The "sympathizing with the self-interest of the courts in the name of 'judicial independence' and 'the authority of court decisions' while ignoring criticism the courts should be listening to" is something that occurs even today. That is something those who are trying to hold back any attempt on the part of the court system to reflect on issues on the past need to listen to. The way judges "find their joy and grief in promotions" and "sometimes live along skillfully by hiding their convictions" in what is the wrongful personnel management practices and institutional culture of the court system is something the leadership of the judicial branch needs to deal with. We hope that Yu's speech becomes the precious seeds of work by the judicial branch to face the issues of the past and be reborn.

The Hankyoreh, 12 October 2005.

[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]