During the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Yang, as the senior presiding judge of the Bankruptcy Chambers of Seoul Central District Court, ordered court supervision of bankrupt companies based on fairness and transparency.
As the Vice Minister of the National Court Administration, he played a role in reforming criminal procedure.
On September 24, 2017, his term as Chief Justice ended and a successor was named by President Moon Jae-in.
[2] On January 24 he was arrested on the count of 40 charges including abuse of his authority as a judge as part of the political scandal that resulted in the impeachment of Park Geun-hye, the president of Korea during the time he was the chief justice.
[4] The former Chief of Justice's actions increased skepticism about the independence of the judiciary.