문대통령, 사법부 70돌 맞아 '온전한 사법 독립 이뤄야'

The nation's judicial branch mark 70 years since its establishment.
But festive mood is dampened by an on-going scandal involving a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
President Moon Jae-in attended the anniversary ceremony and urged the court to do its best to earn back the people's trust.
Hwang Hojun has the full story.
It would normally be an occasion to celebrate,... but on the 70th anniversary of South Korea's court system, President Moon admonished the judiciary and urged it to change.

Now the judiciary branch faces a very important task of winning back the people's trust.

President Moon urged the court system to correct its past wrongdoings and be independent from politics.
His remarks come amid a scandal in which former Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae allegedly used a number of controversial and sensitive trials as leverage in possible negotiations with the former Park Geun-hye administration.
The ruling Democratic Party is calling for a special investigation, and prosecutors have already raided the Supreme Court for evidence.
President Moon said the judicial branch is facing its worst crisis since it was established in 1948,... shortly after Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule,... but he said it's not too late to make a difference.
Calling the judiciary a key tool for achieving the people's sovereignty, he stressed that the independence of the judiciary and its judges, guaranteed by the separation of powers, is the last resort for protecting the rights and interests of the people against dictatorship and abuse of power.

The people's mandate to achieve full judicial independence is also an opportunity for the judiciary to reform.

President Moon called for sincere change and stressed that the judicial branch must correct its past wrongdoings and mistakes to meet the expectations of the people,... saying it's the only way to win back their trust.
Hwang Hojun, Arirang News.