Key Changes
On August 31, 2026, the Board of Audit and Inspection released the results of its regular audit of the Supreme Court, stating that it had identified 12 illegal or improper matters. The most closely watched issue involved bonus payments to Supreme Court justices, the director of the National Court Administration, and others.
The National Court Administration was reported to have paid a total of 1.299 billion won in bonuses to Supreme Court justices, the director of the National Court Administration, and others from 2022 through September 2025.
Recipients and Payment Method
From 2022 through April 2024, each of the 12 Supreme Court justices received an average cash bonus of 2 million won twice a month. This amount was separate from the 5.12 million won in special-duty expenses paid each month.
After May 2024, the payment dates and amounts varied by justice. Reports said that the annual amount paid to each Supreme Court justice in 2024 was approximately 26.5 million to 30.5 million won. The director of the National Court Administration reportedly received about 3 million won per month from 2022 through April 2024, followed by monthly bonuses of 2 million to 4 million won through September 2025.
The central issues in the audit materials concern not only the size of the payments, but also the regular fixed-monthly-payment method and the budgetary basis for the spending.
Current Status
The Board of Audit and Inspection determined that regularly paying bonuses, including fixed monthly amounts, without a statutory basis violated the Supreme Court’s budget-execution guidelines and called on the National Court Administration to exercise caution.
The Supreme Court explained that the bonuses were intended to recognize the workload associated with adjudication, including the twice-monthly panel deliberations. It also said that, respecting the board’s findings, it had developed and was implementing an internal improvement plan involving differential payments based on performance and workload from July 2026.
The board’s finding of a guideline violation and the Supreme Court’s explanation of the purpose of the payments were presented as separate positions. Based on the materials currently available, the exact amount received by each individual, whether any money will be recovered, and any measures against responsible officials or potential criminal liability cannot be confirmed.
Impact
The audit findings extend beyond the bonus issue to the National Court Administration’s overall budget execution. They reportedly included criticism of excessive purchases of computer equipment, with 6,131 PCs and 2,983 printers, among other items, kept as spare equipment as of the end of 2025.
It was also reported that the Board of Audit criticized the payment of 650 million won under a separate contract for operating-system upgrade costs that had been included in an existing contract.
The currently confirmed implications are as follows:
- The Board of Audit and Inspection determined that the regular payment method for the bonuses violated budget-execution guidelines.
- The Supreme Court explained the purpose of the payments and has been implementing a differential-payment improvement plan since July 2026.
- Budget execution related to excessive purchases of computer equipment and operating-system upgrade costs under a separate contract was also included among the audit findings.
Next Checkpoint
The materials did not provide a separate follow-up schedule. Future updates should examine how the bonus improvement plan implemented since July 2026 is operating and whether follow-up measures resulting from the audit findings are disclosed.
The audit results currently confirmed, along with the positions of the two institutions, can be checked in the following sources. Yonhap News Agency (checked August 31, 2026): https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260831059851001
YTN (checked August 31, 2026): https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0103_202608311713222940
Financial News (checked August 31, 2026): https://www.fnnews.com/news/202608311339088478
Asia Economy (checked August 31, 2026): https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/2026083110394576578