Yang Sung-tae was sworn in as the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in South Korea on Tuesday, vowing to bolster transparency and openness of the judiciary.

The 63-year-old incoming chief justice, who replaced predecessor Lee Yong-hun, said the current level of South Koreans’ trust toward the judiciary is unsatisfactorily low in his inauguration speech marking the beginning of his six-year term.

“We (judges) should try to make transparent and open courts that communicate with people by letting them see through courts and opening our minds to them,” Yang said.

The new chief justice highlighted consistency as the top priority the judiciary should hold in delivering court rulings.

“The mission of the judiciary is to build a stable and peaceful society by guaranteeing consistency and predictability through implementing the rule of law,” he said.

Before taking office, Yang served as a justice at the Supreme Court from 2005-2011 and spent 36 years in the judiciary.

He graduated from Seoul National University’s College of Law in 1970 and passed the national judiciary exam the same year. (Yonhap News)