The Honorable SUH Kyeong-hwan was born on February 22, 1966, in Seoul. He earned his LL.B. degree from Seoul National University’s College of Law and passed the 30th National Judicial Examination in 1988. Justice Suh began his judicial career in 1995 and first served as a judge in the Seoul District Court and held various judgeship positions at the Seoul High Court, Jeonju District Court, and Gwangju High Court. He was also the Chief Judge of the Seoul Bankruptcy Court. Justice Suh also assumed responsibilities as Director of Litigation Affairs at the National Court Administration and as Research Judge of the Supreme Court of Korea. Most recently, he served as the Presiding Judge of the Seoul High Court and was appointed as the Justice of the Supreme Court of Korea on July 19, 2023.

During the 28 years of judgeship, Justice Suh handled various cases and held multiple of judicial and administrative duties with a firm belief that a respectable judiciary ensures the basic rights of the citizens and levels with the citizens’ perspectives. He has also endeavored to ensure the right to a fair trial and enhance the public’s trust in the judiciary, giving ample attention to the parties during trial proceedings and examining each case accurately and thoroughly to draw the most rational conclusion concerning specific issues,

Justice Suh exemplifies his genuine desire to realize social justice by reflecting deep contemplation and insights to protect the basic rights of the socially vulnerable and minorities in his judgments. While serving as Chief Judge of the Seoul Bankruptcy Court, he also adopted policies and insolvency-related judicial services to expedite the remedy and recovery of socially vulnerable people.

He gained extensive experience handling insolvency cases on administering court receiverships of leading Korean companies for two years, during the Korean financial crisis in the late 1990s. Justice Suh is renowned for his expertise in insolvency law. With judicial experience serving as the Chief Presiding Judge and the Chief Judge of the Seoul Bankruptcy Court, his effort to successfully establish the Seoul Bankruptcy Court is considered to have served as the significant cornerstone that eventually led to the new Suwon and Busan Bankruptcy Courts.

During his judicial career, Justice Suh has assumed responsibilities in various judicial and administrative roles and contributed to judicial administration that is acceptable and understandable to the public based on the active effort for communication and empathetic sincerity. In particular, as Chairman of the Subcommittee of Judge’s Personnel Affairs established under the Advisory Council of Judicial Administration, he successfully led to adopting a system for judges to preside in a court for extended periods and discussions on the positions held by court members, all of which contributed to enhancing the judicial trust of the public by reestablishing the roles of the judiciary from the perspectives of the citizens.