The Supreme Court chief justice decided Friday to conduct an additional probe into allegations that the top court had managed a blacklist of judges possibly to disadvantage them, as he pushes for sweeping judicial reforms.

Kim Meong-su announced his decision on the court's online board through his chief of staff, saying an additional investigation aims to address the conflict and confusion surrounding the lingering suspicions.

Earlier this year, the court's fact-finding panel investigated the allegations that its administrative office had a list of judges with "particular political orientations." It concluded the rumors were "groundless," but suspicion persisted, gnawing on cohesion in the judiciary.

"(We are) currently reviewing who will be reinvestigated by whom and through what methods and procedures," he said. "(We) plan to carry out the procedures in a prudent and reasonable way so as to ensure the process would not undermine public trust in the judiciary."

Kim was initially expected to avoid reopening the case, as some worried that the reinvestigation could aggravate internal discord and impede his reform drive. (Yonhap)