Judges Told To Behave Themselves???

This goes back to a series I've been following with the help of Asadal on a certain level of respect being maintained among Korean culture. After a 69-year-old man was urged to behave himself in court by a judge, some members of the "media" have been discussing weather or not the honorific words and phrases in Korean society are becoming a thing of the past. Check out the other posts here and here.

The Korea Times put out an editorial on the situation and unsurprising sided with the old man.

"A recent complaint by a 69-year-old plaintiff in a civil lawsuit reminded the public of how he was humiliated by a 39-year-old judge at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul last April. According to the National Human Rights Commission that conducted a probe into the case, the judge told the plaintiff, ``You are acting like an undisciplined child. Behave yourself." The judge made the remarks when the plaintiff repeatedly spoke without his permission.

It is generally improper for a young person, no matter who he or she is, to utter such words to the elderly. It runs counter to traditional Confucian values in Korean society, which call for respect for your elders. The plaintiff claimed that his human rights were infringed upon by the judge's harsh words. And the commission accepted his claim and recommended that the court issue a reprimand to the judge for his use of the inappropriate expression. The chief of the court did what he was told by the rights panel."

Dear Korea,
     Hi! I'm the year 2010! Have we met yet? I would love to be your friend, but you've got a few issues you need to sort out first. Please call me when you figure out what you're doing with your life.
Sincerely,
The Present