Jurist; former president of the Seoul High Court and the Seoul District Court
| Life | 1939 |
| Era | 현대 |
| Clan | 경주 정씨 |
Jeong Ji-hyeong, born in 1939 in Boeun, North Chungcheong, is a jurist classed as a graduate of Seoul National University law school. He passed the 16th high civil service exam and was appointed a judge, later serving as director of the Litigation Bureau of the Court Administration Office, president of the Seoul High Court and president of the Seoul District Court.
In April 1987, presiding over Criminal Division 5 of the Seoul High Court, he overturned the lower court and acquitted a Seoul National University student convicted of assault causing death. In October that year, in the appeal of the Park Jong-chul torture-death case, he reduced the first-trial sentences to 10 years for Jo Han-gyeong, 8 for Gang Jin-gyu, 6 for Ban Geum-gon, 5 for Hwang Jeong-ung and 3 for Lee Jeong-ho. The ruling drew public criticism and debate at the time, so refer to the original records for its background.
In March 1995, as president of the Seoul District Court, he had defendants acquitted or dismissed asked whether they wanted the judgment published, and ordered publication unless they declined.
The measure he introduced as president of the Seoul District Court, asking acquitted defendants whether to publish the judgment, is described as reflecting their wish to restore a good name. His son Jeong Chang-ho worked as a judge in international courts, making the family known as a legal one.
A judge's record differs from case to case; do not confuse him with other people of the same name, and note the seat (Gyeongju) and birthplace together.
Jeong Ji-hyeong (鄭址炯) is a jurist whom Wikipedia lists as a Gyeongju Jeong. Rulings in major cases such as the Park Jong-chul case were judged very differently then and later. This entry does not weigh whether the rulings were right and only carries facts in the record; whether and when he died could not be confirmed. Check official sources such as the Supreme Court for exact terms in his judicial career.
His son Jeong Chang-ho served as a judge of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and was elected a judge of the International Criminal Court in December 2014, the second Korean after Song Sang-hyeon.