---
title: "Samuel Chung | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/samuel-chung-judge-king-county-superior-court-11634-wa"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-07-26"
---

# Samuel Chung

King County - Superior Court · Judge

## Profile

- Court: King County - Superior Court
- State: Washington
- Role: Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-26

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Before you appear

- Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
- Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
- Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

## Courtroom Rules

### photography recording

Scope: statewide

Washington GR 16 allows video recording, audio recording, and still photography by the news media in courtrooms only after the judge has expressly granted permission.

Evidence excerpt: Video and audio recording and still photography by the news media are allowed in the courtroom during and between sessions, provided (1) that permission shall have first been expressly granted by the judge

[Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/pdf/GR/GA_GR_16_00_00.pdf)
Source checked: 2026-07-26

### limitations on recording

Scope: statewide

If a Washington judge limits courtroom photography or recording, GR 16 requires particularized findings on the record and treats open access as presumed.

Evidence excerpt: Open access is presumed; limitations on access must be supported by reasons found by the judge to be sufficiently compelling to outweigh that presumption

[Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/pdf/GR/GA_GR_16_00_00.pdf)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=11634&orgid=191)
- [Official roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=11634&orgid=191)
- [Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/index.cfm?fa=court_dir.persondetail&indid=11634&orgid=191)
- [Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/pdf/GR/GA_GR_16_00_00.pdf)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- Samuel S. Chung is a judge on Department 15 of the King County Superior Court in Seattle, Washington, appointed by Governor Jay Inslee on May 27, 2014
- Former pro tem judge in King County District Court

### Education

- George Washington University Law School — J.D. (1989)
- in History, Columbia University — B.A. (1985)

### Additional information

- He was re‐elected in 2015, 2016, 2020, and most recently in 2024, with his current term ending January 9, 2029.
- He co‐founded in 1992 a pro bono legal clinic for low‐income and elderly Korean immigrants and held the role of the founding president of the Korean American Bar Association of Washington.
- Before joining the court, Judge Chung practiced law focusing on contract, real estate, and commercial litigation, and also represented low‐income parties in civil cases.
- Department: Criminal (Department 15)
- Courtroom: W‐829 (some listings note W‐1060)
- Bailiff: Jim Petersen
- Court schedule: See King County’s official site for recess dates and motion deadlines.
- Served in civil trial, dependency, and unified family court rotations, and at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
- He has also led the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Agency and the Korean Community Service Center.



## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Washington GR 16, Courtroom Photography and Recording by the News Media](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-7133c6bd26c80972b86e0d31) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim.  Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/pdf/GR/GA_GR_16_00_00.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26.
