Justice Moon Hyung-bae's humble life draws public admiration

Korea Herald

08-04-2025

Constitutional Court's acting chief justice who read historic ruling on Yoon Suk Yeol praised for pursuing 'life of an average person'
Moon Hyung-bae, acting Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of Korea, who read aloud the ruling upholding the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday, has come into the public spotlight not only for his role in the historic ruling, but also for his life story, which recently resurfaced and resonated with many people.
Born into a family in a small farming village in Hadong-gun, South Gyeongsang Province, in 1965, Moon grew up in poverty. He graduated from Jinju Daea High School and earned his bachelor's degree in law from Seoul National University before passing the bar exam in 1986.
'I was the eldest son of a poor farmer. I only made it through middle school because I had relatives who handed down old uniforms and textbooks to me,' Moon recalled during his 2019 confirmation hearing before being appointed as a Constitutional Court justice.
A major turning point in his life came during his first year of high school, when he received a scholarship from Kim Jang-ha, a local traditional Korean medicine practitioner and philanthropist in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province. This scholarship allowed him to continue his education through university.
Moon has often spoken of Kim's impact on his life, saying he could 'never have become a justice without him.' Kim, whose life story came to wider public attention through the 2023 MBC documentary 'A Man Who Heals the City,' is known to have devoted his earnings to the education and welfare of others. He has awarded scholarships to over 1,000 students — including Moon — and supported shelters for domestic violence survivors.
In South Korea, where public officials are frequently scrutinized for their wealth, Moon stands out. At his confirmation hearing in 2019, he disclosed that his total assets were 675 million won ($458,412), with his personal assets less than 400 million — significantly below the average for his peer judges, which at the time was 2 billion won.
'When I got married, I promised myself I would never stray from the life of an average person. I've recently realized my assets slightly exceed the national average of about 300 million won per household, and I'm genuinely sorry about that,' Moon told lawmakers.
Moon, also an active blogger who shares his thoughts via the platform Tistory on books he has read and cases he has covered, has posted over 1,500 posts reflecting on law, society and literature.
One of them reads: 'I know how easily poverty can upend a person's life," he wrote, adding that society should move toward reducing the impact poverty has on individuals.
Following the court's historic recent impeachment ruling, hundreds of comments flooded his blog, thanking him for his service and integrity.
While Moon is set to step down from the Constitutional Court on April 18 after completing his six-year term, he has already made clear that he has no plans to open a private law practice, but will remain committed to public service.
'Even after becoming a justice, I have never forgotten that my duty is to repay society for the support I received,' he said in 2019.
The 60-year-old justice's judicial career has been also defined by a blend of compassion and firmness.
While serving as the chief judge of Changwon District Court from 2004 to 2007, he oversaw criminal appeal and corruption cases that drew attention for their principled, human-centered rulings.
In one case in 2007, Moon presided over a man who attempted suicide by setting fire to a motel room due to credit card debt. Instead of a jail term, Moon sentenced him to probation and urged him to reconsider life's value.
'Say the world 'suicide' ("jasal" in Korean) 10 times. To us, what you just said sounds like 'let's live' ("salja" in Korean). Think again about why you must live,' Moon told him, giving him a book titled, '49 Things You Must Do While Alive.'
In contrast, Moon has been strict when it comes to corruption cases. During the 2006 local elections, he handed down tough penalties, saying that even the smallest bribery case should lead to the annulment of the election results. Citing 'Admonitions on Governing the People' (1820) by reformist philosopher, poet and scholar-official Dasan Jeong Yak-yong, Moon emphasized that 'integrity is the root of all virtue.'
When Moon presided over the historic ruling that removed Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday, he read, 'By deploying the military and police to undermine the authority of the National Assembly and other constitutional institutions and violate the fundamental human rights of the people, the defendant failed in his duty to protect the Constitution and seriously betrayed the trust of the South Korean people, the sovereigns of the Republic of Korea.'