Courts can take markedly different amounts of time to handle similar criminal appeals, with the gap reaching more than four months depending on where a case is assigned, according to data obtained from the Supreme Court. Analysis by Democratic Party lawmaker Park Ji-won found that first-instance cases nationwide averaged 5.9 months for civil matters and 6.8 months for criminal matters in the first half of this year.
The data, disclosed at a parliamentary audit of nine district courts in the capital region and Gangwon, has renewed concerns that court assignment should not make trial timing a matter of luck.