Appointment of Arbitrators and the Role of the Court

중재인 선정과 법원의 역할에 관한 연구

The expanded role of courts in arbitral procedures is said to have certain detrimental effects on the cost-effective approach to arbitration. This is the case when the court is appointing an arbitrator, pursuant to the specific domestic legal regime. The danger of decisions, especially those with expanded role of courts can create delays and hurdles. Even with contradictory viewpoints, the role of the court should complement the arbitral tribunal and not impede the functioning of arbitration independent of the judicial system. In this paper, two recent cases in Korean Supreme Court are reviewed, trying to find the proper implications on further arbitration practices especially in the stage of arbitrator appointment. Even though the proper appointment of arbitrators is essential to the existence of valid arbitration proceedings, appointment of arbitrators by the courts should constitute an administrative power, and not a judicial power. The cases reviewed make clear that the court must play a facilitative role in international commercial arbitration by assisting the parties in appointing the arbitral tribunal, the court intervention must be kept to a minimum.