Judging the Judges - The Crime of “Legal Distortion” and Erosion of Democratic Resilience in South Korea
Hart, Nina M.
Author
aut
Text
xx#
2026
Verfassungsblog
2026-04-22
eng
On 12 March 2026, Korea’s new crime of “legal distortion” (법왜곡죄) entered into force. Judges and prosecutors who intentionally misapply the law to benefit or harm another person now face up to ten years’ imprisonment and suspension of their professional qualifications. The reform comes at a time of fragile public confidence in the judiciary: recent surveys show that trust is shallow and particularly low among younger generations. Yet this remedy risks deepening the very crisis it purports to address.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Hart, Nina M.
Criminal Law
democracy
Judges
Legal Distortion
South Korea
342
https://verfassungsblog.de/south-korea-legal-distortion-democracy/
Verfassungsblog
2366-7044
Max Steinbeis Verfassungsblog gGmbH
10.59704/0c71f397fe4b8e29
260422
10.59704/0c71f397fe4b8e29
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