Four-day event runs Wednesday through Saturday

Chiefs from about 30 countries to attend — largest gathering on record

South Korea hosting for the third time, first country to do so

Chief Justice Jo Hee-dae delivers a commemorative address at the 2026 Korea Court Day ceremony held at the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu on Friday. [Yonhap]
Chief Justice Jo Hee-dae delivers a commemorative address at the 2026 Korea Court Day ceremony held at the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu on Friday. [Yonhap]

The Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific, bringing together the heads of judiciaries from about 30 countries, opens in Seoul on Wednesday for a four-day run.

The 20th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific will be held from Wednesday through Saturday at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Yongsan-gu and the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, the Supreme Court said Tuesday. The biennial conference serves as a forum for chief justices to share experiences and policies on judicial systems and key issues.

South Korea is hosting the conference for the third time, having previously done so at the eighth session in 1999 and the 14th session in 2011 — making it the first country to host three times. The gathering is expected to be the largest in the conference's history, with chief justices and supreme court justices from about 30 countries as well as representatives from 13 international organizations in attendance, the Supreme Court said.

Judicial leaders from major Asia-Pacific nations will participate, including those from Japan, China, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, India, Mongolia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. For the first time, chief justices from outside the Asia-Pacific region will also join, with representatives from the Czech Republic, Latvia, Montenegro, Turkey, Egypt, Kenya, Canada and Ecuador attending.

It will also mark the first time that representatives from 13 international organizations have participated, among them the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT), the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the OECD, the World Bank, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Standing International Forum of Commercial Courts (SIFoCC).

Discussions over the four days will cover six themes: the role of the judiciary, the use of AI in the judiciary and the legal profession, the importance of judicial training in the modern judicial environment, judicial approaches to sexual and domestic violence, raising public awareness of courts, and the scope of court support for arbitration.

Chief Justice Jo Hee-dae will deliver a welcoming address at the opening ceremony, presenting the implications of King Sejong's philosophy for modern justice and reflecting on the significance of Seoul hosting the conference again after 15 years. Justice Kwon Young-jun will give a special presentation introducing King Sejong's judicial philosophy and notable rulings from his reign.

Several other Supreme Court justices will take part in key sessions. Justice Lee Suk-yeon will speak at the second session on the use of AI, while Justice Shin Suk-hee will address the fourth session on judicial approaches to sexual and domestic violence. Justice Kwon will chair the third session on judicial training. Justice Cheon Dae-yeop is set to present on changes in the legal ecosystem in the age of AI at the LAWASIA annual general meeting, held in conjunction with the conference.

Chief Justice Jo will also hold bilateral talks with the chief justices of Japan, Canada, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan on the sidelines of the conference. In addition, the Supreme Court plans to sign MOUs on judicial cooperation with the supreme courts of Singapore, Mongolia and Pakistan.

"We plan to use this event as an opportunity to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with judiciaries around the world, raise our standing in the international community, and work toward becoming a judiciary that earns the trust of the public," a Supreme Court official said.


yg@heraldcorp.com