Suwon Reopens Citizen Jury Court After 8 Years

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jeong Jun-seong] Suwon's 'Citizen Jury Court' will reopen for the first time in 8 years.

Suwon Metropolitan City will hold the 'Fourth Citizen Jury Court' on the 15th at 10:30 a.m. in the mock courtroom (Room 601, Yeonam Hall) of Ajou University Law School.

This Citizen Jury Court was convened after some 30 people, including the chairman of the Suwon Apartment Residents Representatives Association, submitted an agenda titled 'Seeking Solutions to Smoking Conflicts in Apartment Buildings' to the Citizen Jury Court in hopes of finding rational ways to resolve disputes among residents caused by smoking in multi-unit dwellings.

The Citizen Jury Court will be attended by approximately 50 people including an arbiter (Attorney Choi Seon-ho), a vice arbiter (Attorney Kim Young-un), citizen jurors (10-20 people), interested parties (2 people), counsel for both sides (2 people), witnesses, citizens, and relevant government officials.

An active-duty attorney recruited through recommendations from the Gyeonggi Central Bar Association will serve as counsel for both sides and present arguments on the day of the trial. A support team of 14 Ajou University students will assist the counsel for both sides by collecting materials and conducting relevant interviews.

From approximately 140 sixth-term citizen reserve jurors selected through open recruitment and other means, 40 citizen jury candidates were selected through random drawing. On the morning of the trial at 9:30 a.m., the selection process, including drawing, will be conducted to select 10-20 citizen jurors.

Meanwhile, the 'Suwon Citizen Jury Court,' which the city introduced for the first time nationwide among local governments in 2011, is a system in which citizens with no conflicts of interest participate as jurors to mediate conflicts closely related to citizens' lives and find solutions. When the Citizen Jury Court is held, 10-20 citizens are selected as jurors through random drawing from the pool of citizen reserve jurors. Citizen jurors participate in decision-making through deliberation at the Citizen Jury Court.