Thursday, June 25, 2026
First Meeting of the Panel of Judges of The A-Bomb Tribunal
Five judges of the Tribunal, the Registrar, SPARK, and interpreters attending the first meeting of the Panel of Judges
The first meeting of the Panel of Judges of The A-Bomb Tribunal was held on June 25 at 7:00 a.m. U.S. Pacific Time (10:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time).
The meeting was attended by the five judges of the Tribunal: Professor Emeritus Richard A. Falk of Princeton University; Professor Emerita Marjorie Cohn of Thomas Jefferson School of Law; Katherine Gallagher, Senior Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights; Lee Seok-tae, former Justice of the Constitutional Court of Korea; and Professor Abdi Ismail Samatar of the University of Minnesota. Also in attendance were Brad Wolf, Co-Coordinator of the International Organizing Committee and appointed Registrar of the Tribunal, as well as Oh Hye-ran, Executive Director of SPARK (Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea), and Ko Young-dae, Co-Representative of SPARK. SPARK serves as the Seoul Registry of The A-Bomb Tribunal.
By consensus, the Panel elected Professor Richard A. Falk as Presiding Judge, and Professor Marjorie Cohn and former Justice Lee Seok-tae as Co-Vice Presiding Judges. The Panel also appointed Brad Wolf as Registrar. Given that the Tribunal will be held in Seoul, it was agreed that SPARK would serve as the Seoul Registry, responsible for document preparation, records management, service of documents, record-keeping, procedural administration, and operational support.
The Panel also reviewed the Tribunal’s Statute and discussed measures to ensure procedural fairness should the Respondent, the United States, decline to participate in the proceedings even after the Panel issues its service order, scheduled for late July. In addition, the judges exchanged views on the themes of expert testimony to be presented during the oral hearings in November. After reviewing the Statement of Claim submitted by counsel for the Claimants (Korean atomic bomb survivors), the Panel agreed to continue its deliberations.
With the Panel now formally constituted, The A-Bomb Tribunal has officially commenced its judicial proceedings. Written submissions and exchanges between the parties will continue through the end of September, followed by public oral hearings to be held from November 13 to 15. After the hearings, the judges will deliberate in closed session before issuing their judgment and recommendations.
We sincerely appreciate your continued interest in The A-Bomb Tribunal and warmly invite your participation in the public oral hearings this November.
Thursday, June 25, 2026
First Meeting of the Panel of Judges of The A-Bomb Tribunal
Five judges of the Tribunal, the Registrar, SPARK, and interpreters attending the first meeting of the Panel of Judges
The first meeting of the Panel of Judges of The A-Bomb Tribunal was held on June 25 at 7:00 a.m. U.S. Pacific Time (10:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time).
The meeting was attended by the five judges of the Tribunal: Professor Emeritus Richard A. Falk of Princeton University; Professor Emerita Marjorie Cohn of Thomas Jefferson School of Law; Katherine Gallagher, Senior Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights; Lee Seok-tae, former Justice of the Constitutional Court of Korea; and Professor Abdi Ismail Samatar of the University of Minnesota. Also in attendance were Brad Wolf, Co-Coordinator of the International Organizing Committee and appointed Registrar of the Tribunal, as well as Oh Hye-ran, Executive Director of SPARK (Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea), and Ko Young-dae, Co-Representative of SPARK. SPARK serves as the Seoul Registry of The A-Bomb Tribunal.
By consensus, the Panel elected Professor Richard A. Falk as Presiding Judge, and Professor Marjorie Cohn and former Justice Lee Seok-tae as Co-Vice Presiding Judges. The Panel also appointed Brad Wolf as Registrar. Given that the Tribunal will be held in Seoul, it was agreed that SPARK would serve as the Seoul Registry, responsible for document preparation, records management, service of documents, record-keeping, procedural administration, and operational support.
The Panel also reviewed the Tribunal’s Statute and discussed measures to ensure procedural fairness should the Respondent, the United States, decline to participate in the proceedings even after the Panel issues its service order, scheduled for late July. In addition, the judges exchanged views on the themes of expert testimony to be presented during the oral hearings in November. After reviewing the Statement of Claim submitted by counsel for the Claimants (Korean atomic bomb survivors), the Panel agreed to continue its deliberations.
With the Panel now formally constituted, The A-Bomb Tribunal has officially commenced its judicial proceedings. Written submissions and exchanges between the parties will continue through the end of September, followed by public oral hearings to be held from November 13 to 15. After the hearings, the judges will deliberate in closed session before issuing their judgment and recommendations.
We sincerely appreciate your continued interest in The A-Bomb Tribunal and warmly invite your participation in the public oral hearings this November.