South Korea’s Supreme Court Paid Judges 1.3 Billion Won in Cash Bonuses Without Legal Basis

South Korea’s Supreme Court paid its 12 justices nearly 1.3 billion won in cash over more than four years, calling the payments encouragement bonuses even though auditors found no legal basis for regular distributions.

The Supreme Court administration made the payments from its “other operating expenses” budget between 2022 and September 2025. The recipients included the chief justice and the head of the court administration. During the first period, from 2022 through April 2024, justices generally received about 2 million won twice a month. Some also received additional payments of 1 million to 1.5 million won for about four months.

The system changed from May 2024. Payments then varied by justice, ranging from 1 million to 4 million won. Over the full period, individual justices received an average of 2 million to 2.54 million won per month, or 18 million to 30.5 million won per year. The court administration chief received more, including 3 million won monthly through April 2024 and between 2 million and 4 million won a month afterward.

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Regular monthly encouragement payments without a legal basis are prohibited.

Auditors said court spending guidelines allow encouragement payments for outstanding departments and employees, but prohibit regular monthly payments without a statutory basis. Because the administration paid the money in cash, it kept no supporting records showing the purpose or appropriateness of individual transactions. The auditors therefore could not fully examine how the money was spent.

The findings revive concerns over cash allowances at the court administration. The Supreme Court previously faced controversy over special-activity funds paid to justices during the tenure of former Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae. The court ended those payments in 2019, but the audit said the later bonuses effectively provided cash under a different budget heading. The audit covered only the period beginning in 2022, so it could not determine whether similar payments occurred from 2019 to 2021. The Board of Audit and Inspection cautioned Court Administration Chief Noh Kyung-pil against making regular payments in the future. The administration said it would follow relevant laws and guidelines and improve transparency.

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We will accept the audit results and work to ensure that future encouragement payments are made transparently and appropriately under relevant laws and guidelines.