1. Judge Chung Chang-ho of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia was elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the election of judges for the 2015-2024 term held at the UN Headquarters in New York on December 8. Judge Chung, who won support from 73 countries out of 119 (104 valid votes), was the only one out of the 17 candidates elected as an ICC judge in a preliminary vote.

◦ The ICC, composed of 18 judges, elects six judges every three years at the meeting of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC. The voting process will continue on December 9.

◦ The ICC is a permanent international tribunal established in 2003 to punish those who commit grave international crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression.

2. In the mid 1990s, the Republic of Korea participated actively in the discussions on establishing the ICC through the creation of the Rome Statute of the ICC. Judge Chung has been elected to the ICC, where another ROK national, Song Sang-hyun, started to work as a judge in 2003 when it was launched, and has been serving as its President since 2009. Through their services, the ROK is expected to continue playing a role in realizing the international criminal justice and the rule of law.

3. The election of Judge Chung is seen to reflect ICC member states’ recognition of his expertise and qualifications as a judge as well as the international community’s appreciation for the ROK’s contributions to the ICC, which started in the drafting process of the Rome Statute of the ICC, continued through the establishment of the ICC and are still under way for its further advances. 


               Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation