South Korea Makes First Bid for a Judge’s Seat on the World Court
Former international maritime tribunal president Baek Jin-hyun will contest a November election as South Korea seeks its first judge on the International Court of Justice.
South Korea is seeking to place one of its nationals on the International Court of Justice for the first time, entering a competitive United Nations election scheduled for November 3.
The Foreign Ministry said Baek Jin-hyun, a former president of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, is the country’s candidate. Baek served as a judge on the Hamburg-based maritime tribunal from 2009 to 2023 and led it as president from 2017 to 2020. He is now a professor emeritus at Seoul National University and an adviser to the Korea National Diplomatic Academy’s Center for International Law.
The ICJ, established in 1945, is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It settles legal disputes between states and gives advisory opinions on legal questions referred by authorized UN bodies. Its role differs from that of the maritime tribunal, which handles disputes concerning the interpretation and application of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and from the International Criminal Court, which prosecutes individuals accused of grave international crimes.
South Korea has previously produced judges for both the maritime tribunal and the International Criminal Court, but it has never secured a place on the ICJ. The Foreign Ministry cited Korea’s relatively late admission to the United Nations in 1991 and long-established regional representation practices as part of the background.
Five seats will be filled in this year’s election, with eight countries fielding candidates. Although the court’s rules do not formally assign seats by region, customary geographic balance means South Korea is expected to compete with Singapore and Jordan for one seat associated with Asia.
Jordan’s Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud is seeking reelection as a sitting ICJ judge, giving him the advantage of incumbency. He has also chaired the International Law Commission and served for years as a UN ambassador. Singapore has nominated Ambassador for International Law Rena Lee, who built a prominent international profile while chairing negotiations on the treaty governing marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction.
Seoul sees Baek’s 14 years of judicial experience at the maritime tribunal and his international standing as key strengths. He is also the only Korean life member of the Institut de Droit International. However, officials acknowledge that South Korea lacks a clearly defined regional voting bloc comparable to the Arab group or ASEAN.
The government has been supporting Baek’s outreach to other countries. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun hosted a promotional event for the diplomatic corps in Seoul on September 14. A ministry official said the result would depend on the candidates’ qualifications, regional dynamics and variables in the voting process, adding that the government would make every effort in what it recognizes will be a difficult contest.