Live Court Rulings

[Anchor Lead]

Starting next month, Koreans will be able to watch important court rulings on live TV if they are deemed to be in the public interest. As a result, it has become very likely that rulings for ousted President Park Geun-hye and vice chair of Samsung Electronics Lee Jae-yong will air on live TV.

[Pkg]

The rulings of the first and second round trials of socially important cases are to be broadcast on live TV. Live broadcast will be basically decided by the presiding judge with the defendant's consent. Even when the defendant does not agree to the live telecast, a judge can allow the final ruling to be aired live if public good is deemed greater. The Supreme Court justices decided Tuesday morning that the revised rules will be enforced starting on August 1st.

[Soundbite] Jo Byeong-gu(Supreme Court Spokesman) : "Rulings of the first and second-round trials will be allowed in order to protect the defense rights of the parties involved in the trial and to expand the people's right to know."

As a result, the rulings of high-profile cases, such as Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong...and ex-President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil, are very likely to be aired live to people's living rooms. Live telecast requests must be submitted to the judge by the day before the ruling at the latest. The presiding judge will then review the filming purpose and subject matter and obtain the defendant's consent before deciding on the live broadcast. The Supreme Court has been pondering over the issue of broadcasting lower court trials live since March of last year. As the public increasingly demanded to see the trials of those involved in government affairs, the Supreme Court came to the decision three months after the impeached president was put to trial.