Hong Ik-pyo, the Chief of Staff to the President, stated on August 24 that he shares the view that the President's appointment authority has been somewhat infringed upon during the nomination process for Supreme Court Justice Cho Hee-dae.
During a comprehensive policy inquiry at the National Assembly's Budget and Settlement Special Committee, when asked by lawmaker Cho Bae-sook of the People Power Party whether there were legal issues with the nomination process, Hong replied, "We need to examine the legal aspects further, but it is quite detached from existing practices."
This comment comes after Cho Hee-dae nominated judges Son Bong-ki and Kim Sung-soo in writing without final coordination with the Blue House, indicating a procedure that deviated from established norms and potentially restricted the President's constitutional appointment authority.
However, Hong clarified that he finds it difficult to agree with interpretations suggesting a direct conflict between the Blue House and the Supreme Court.
He also rejected claims that the Blue House and ruling party's concerns about the nomination process stem from dissatisfaction over candidates not being nominated, particularly those favored by President Lee Jae-myung, stating, "I cannot agree with that at all."
Earlier, on August 18, Cho Hee-dae nominated Son Bong-ki, a chief judge at the Daegu District Court, to succeed former Justice Noh Tae-ak, and Kim Sung-soo, a chief judge at the Seoul High Court, to succeed Justice Lee Heung-gu, who is set to retire next month.
Unlike the usual practice where the Chief Justice coordinates with the President before making nominations, Cho submitted these two candidates in writing, leading to ongoing controversy as it appears that no final agreement was reached between the Blue House and the Supreme Court regarding Son's nomination.
Article 104, Section 2 of the Constitution stipulates that Supreme Court Justices are appointed by the President with the consent of the National Assembly upon the recommendation of the Chief Justice. It remains to be seen whether President Lee will accept Cho's nominations and submit them to the National Assembly for approval.
Reports indicate that the Blue House is considering rejecting the nomination of Judge Son while contemplating returning the nomination agreement for Judge Kim to the National Assembly.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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