South Korea's Top Court Chief Unilaterally Nominates Two Justices Amid Vacancy Dispute

South Korea's Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae has broken with long-standing convention by unilaterally nominating two Supreme Court justices via written submission, bypassing the customary prior coordination with the presidential office, according to a column in the Hankyoreh. The dispute centers on filling the vacancy left by Justice Noh Tae-ak, who retired in March. The Justice Nomination Recommendation Committee, chaired by Choi Jae-cheon, recommended four candidates on Jan.

21: Judges Kim Min-ki of Suwon High Court, Park Soon-young of Seoul High Court, Son Bong-ki of Daegu District Court, and Yoon Sung-sik of Seoul District Court. The presidential office favored Kim Min-ki, a female progressive judge, but Cho strongly opposed her, citing her marriage to Constitutional Court Justice Oh Young-joon. Seven months passed without a replacement for Noh.

Meanwhile, a new committee chaired by Park Eun-jung recommended four more candidates on Aug. 4 for the seat of Justice Lee Heung-gu, who retires in September: Kim Mun-gwan, Kim Sung-soo, Kim Ye-young, and Kim Jung-joong.