Supreme Court Justices Received 200 Million Won Each Last Year

Last year, each Supreme Court justice received a total of 200 million won, including salary, specific operational expenses, and bonuses.

According to data received by Kim Yong-min, a member of the National Assembly's Legislative and Judiciary Committee, from the Supreme Court, the average salary for a Supreme Court justice was 111.52 million won (approximately 9.29 million won per month) last year.

Each justice received specific operational expenses of 61.44 million won (about 5.12 million won per month) annually over the past five years. Additionally, approximately 24 million won (around 2 million won per month) in bonuses were paid separately each month. When combined, the total amount received by each justice last year reached 197 million won.

Notably, the cash bonuses, which amounted to several hundred thousand won each month, were revealed during a recent regular audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection. The Court Administration Office reportedly provided an average of 200,000 won in cash bonuses to 12 justices from 2022 to April 2024.

The administration explained that the bonuses were intended to encourage justices and research judges involved in trials around the time of hearings in the Supreme Court or full court sessions.

In response to the Board of Audit and Inspection's findings, the administration changed its uniform payment method in July to a performance-based system that varies according to workload, which is currently in effect.

However, the annual specific operational expenses exceeding 60 million won remain a contentious issue. The Supreme Court has maintained a non-disclosure stance regarding requests for detailed documentation on the purposes and reasons for these expenditures, citing concerns that public disclosure could significantly hinder the judiciary's independent external operations and judicial administration.

Kim Yong-min stated, "Given that Supreme Court justices receive nearly 200 million won in compensation, the process for managing specific operational expenses should be more transparent. Judicial independence cannot exempt oversight and verification of taxpayer money."