The Supreme Court is considering broadcasting the trials of controversial cases on TV in order to regain public credibility.

However, the plan is expected to invite controversy over human rights infringement since personal identification as well as information could be disclosed to public without censorship.

According to the nation’s top court, the idea was initiated by Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae who has been alarmed by the public antipathy and distrust toward the court over several thorny cases.

“I was recently surprised to see the ‘party-mom’ case being televised and millions of people watching the court trial in real-time,” Yang has reportedly said.

He was referring to the case of Casey Anthony, a party-loving single mother who was accused of abusing and murdering her two-year-old daughter in 2008. The case drew public attention with dozens of people including Anthony’s mother, lawyers, anthropologists, psychologists and others turning themselves into the court and on TV last year.

“When controversial cases are dealt with behind closed doors, the public may paint a negative image of the judiciary. Therefore, allowing the broadcasting of a limited number of cases may enhance the court’s image and strengthen the credibility of the judges,” Yang was reported to have said to officials.

Currently, the law bans court trials from being recorded or televised. In very limited cases, the beginning scenes may be recorded upon approval of the judges. If the plan comes into effect, the court will have to seek legal revisions allowing judges to conduct the recording of the whole trial under their own responsibility, officials said.

Yang’s vision came as courts have been reproached for showing leniency to high-profile criminal cases recently, especially in rather light rulings on sex offenders who attacked physically and mentally disabled people in Gwangju, as revealed by novels and a box office-hit film.

By disclosing the decision-making process of the judges, the verdicts could earn more credibility and dampen suspicions, Yang said.

However, the plan is likely to stir controversy since televising could infringe upon the privacy of the individuals involved, including the accused.

“The disclosure will be strictly limited to highly sensitive cases necessary for public interest,” a court insider was quoted as saying to the Donga Ilbo newspaper. “Private affairs and those involving minors will be excluded. What Yang aims is to raise the transparency and communication level outside the court.”

By Bae Ji-sook(baejisook@heraldcorp.com)