The ruling Democratic Party(DP) pushed to pass a revision bill aimed at gradually increasing the number of Supreme Court justices in phases from the current 14 to 30 through a subpanel under the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

The bill to revise the Court Organization Act that passed on Wednesday is an alternative version created after a merger of motions each put forth by DP Reps. Kim Yong-min and Jang Kyung-tae.

The bill stipulates an addition of four justices each year for four years, ultimately raising the total number to 30.

DP Rep. Park Beom-kye, chair of the first subcommittee that passed the bill, said while the number of justices has remained unchanged for 45 years, the number of appealed cases to the Supreme Court has reached about 40-thousand a year.

The main opposition People Power Party boycotted the vote in protest of what it called the ruling party's "unilateral voting," and "parliamentary dictatorship."

The increase in the number of justices has been a part of President Lee Jae-myung's campaign pledge for judicial reform.