Possibility of Establishing an International Court of Air and Space Law

국제항공우주재판소의 설립 가능성

The idea of establishing an International Court of Air and Space Law (hereinafter referred to ICASL) is only my academic and practical opinion as first proposal in the global community. The establishment of the International Court of Air and Space Law can promote the speed and promote fairness of the trial in air and space law cases. The creation of an ICASL would lead to strengthening of the international cooperation deemed essential by the global community towards joint settlement in the transnational air and space cases, claims and would act as a catalyst for the efforts and solution on aircraft, satellite and space shuttle's accidents and cases and all manpower, information, trial and lawsuit to be centrally managed in an independent fashion to the benefit of global community. The aircraft, satellite and spacecraft's accidents attributes to the particular and different features between the road, railway and maritime's accidents. These aircraft, satellite and spacecraft's accidents have incurred many disputes between the victims and the air and space carriers in deciding on the limited or unlimited liability for compensation and the appraisal of damages caused by the aircraft's accidents, terror attack, satellite, space shuttle's accidents and space debris. This International Court of Air and Space Law could hear any claim growing out of both international air and space crash accidents and transnational accidents in which plaintiffs and defendants are from different nations. This alternative would eliminate the lack of uniformity of decisions under the air and space conventions, protocols and agreements. In addition, national courts would no longer have to apply their own choice of law analysis in choosing the applicable liability limits or un-limit for cases that do not fall under the air and space system. Thus, creation of an International Court of Air and Space Law would eliminate any disparity of damage awards among similarly situated passengers and shippers in nonmembers of air and space conventions, protocols, agreements and cases. Furthermore, I would like to explain the main items of the abovementioned Draft for the Convention or Statute of the International Court of Air and Space Law framed in comparison with the Statute of the International Court of Justice, the Statue of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the Statute of the International Criminal Court. First of all, in order to create the International Court of Air and Space Law, it is necessary for us to legislate a Draft for the Convention on the Establishment of the International Court of Air and Space Law. This Draft for the Convention must include the elected method of judges, term, duty and competence of judge, chambers, jurisdiction, hearing and judgment of the ICASL. The members of the Court shall be elected by the General Assembly and Council of the ICAO and by the General Assembly and Legal Committee of the UNCOPUOS from a list of persons nominated by the national groups in the six continent (the North American, South American, African, Oceania and Asian Continent) and two international organization such as ICAO and UNCOPUOS. The members of the Court shall be elected for nine years and may be re-elected as one time. However, I would like to propose a creation an International Court of Air and Space Law in extending jurisdiction to the International Court of Justice at the Hague to in order to decide the air and space convention‘s cases. My personal opinion is that if an International Court on Air and Space Law will be created in future, it will be settled quickly and reasonably the difficulty and complicated disputes, cases or lawsuit between the wrongdoer and victims and the injured person caused by aircraft, satellite, spacecraft's accidents or hijacker and terrorists etc. on account of deciding the standard of judgment by judges of that’s court. It is indeed a great necessary and desirable for us to make a new Draft for the Convention on a creation of the International Court of Air and Space Law to handle international air and space crash litigation. I shall propose to make a new brief Draft for the Convention on the Creation of an International Court of Air and Space Law in the near future.

필자가 세계에서 최초로 국제항공우주재판소(ICASL)의 설립을 제안한 것은 어디까지나 필자 개인의 학문적이고 실용적인 의견에 불과하다. 항공기, 인공위성, 우주선의 추락 또는 충돌 등으로 인하여 인적 또는 물적 손해가 발생되는 항공우주사고의 특성은 (1)전손성(全損性: all or nothing), (2) 순간성(Augenblick), (3) 지상종속성(항공우주관제계 등), (4)손해의 거액성, (5) 국제성 등이 있음으로 육상의 자동차, 기차사고 등과 해상의 선박사고 등과는 다른 특성을 지니고 있다. 따라서 국제항공우주법분야의 사건들을 신속하고 공정하게 처리하기 위하여서는 지역(대륙)별로 국제항공우주법분야에 조예가 깊은 전문가, 교수 및 법조인들 가운데 UN산하 국제민간항공기관(ICAO)의 이사회 및 총회와 UN우주평화적이용위원회(COPUOS)의 법률분과위원회 및 총회에서 다수결로 선출된 14명의 판사들로 구성된 국제항공우주재판소의 설립이 필요하다. 현재 국제재판소로는 네덜란드 헤이그에 있는 (1) 국제사법재판소(ICJ), 독일 함부르크에 있는 (2) 국제해양재판소(ITLS), 헤이그에 있는 (3) 국제형사재판소(ICC), 룩셈브르크에 있는 (4) 유럽공동체재판소(CEC)와 프랑스의 스트라스부르크에 있는 (5) 유럽인권재판소(EHRC) 등이 있으며 이들 재판소의 기능을 개별적으로 살피어 볼 때에 주로 국제법, 국제해양법, 국제형사법, EU법, 유럽인권법 등에 관련된 사건들을 재판한 후 판결을 내리고 있다. 상기 5개 재판소의 설립근거는 각 재판소의 설립에 관계된 국제조약 내지 제정법(statute :정관)에 근거하고 있다. 상기 국제항공우주재판소의 설립 근거가 되는 조약초안에는 (1) 본 재판소의 설립목적, (2) 판사의 선출방법, (3)판사의 임기, (4) 판사의 의무와 권한, (5) 심의회, (6) 재판관할, (7) 청문회, (9) 판결의 방법(주문과 이유 등), (10) 제소기한 등을 삽입하여야만 된다. 국제항공우주재판소는 ICAO 및 UNCOPUOS의 주된 사법기관으로서 법인격을 향유하며 9년 임기의 판사들은 재선이 가능하다. 국제항공우주재판소의 소재지는 대한민국의 서울 또는 기타 도시로 한다. 국제항공우주재판소를 설립하기 위하여서는 설립근거가 되는 국제조약과 세부적인 절차법 (정관: 定款등)의 제정이 필요하다고 본다. 국제항공우주재판소의 설립은 항공우주법 사건에 대한 재판의 기준을 설정하고 재판의 공정성과 신속성을 도모하는데 크게 기여하게 되리라고 본다. 국제항공우주재판소의 창설은 판례법의 축적으로 인하여 국제항공우주법을 통일을 시키는데 촉매적인 역할을 하게 될 것이며 "세계통일법 (unification of the law in the world)"을 형성시키는데 일익을 담당하게 될 것이다.