Blue House Withdraws Nomination of Son Bong-ki for Supreme Court Justice

The Blue House announced on August 28 that it will not submit a confirmation proposal for Son Bong-ki, a senior judge at the Daegu District Court, who was nominated to succeed former Supreme Court Justice Noh Tae-ack.

Additionally, regarding Kim Sung-soo, a senior judge at the Seoul High Court nominated to succeed Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, the Blue House stated, "Since there has been consensus after consultations, we will submit the confirmation proposal to the National Assembly today."

Blue House spokesperson Kang Yu-jung conveyed this information during a briefing at the Chunchugwan and mentioned that they requested Chief Justice Cho to nominate a different candidate instead of Son.

Spokesperson Kang explained the rationale behind the request for withdrawal, stating, "The nomination of Son did not sufficiently meet procedural completeness."

Kang pointed out that "Chief Justice Cho unilaterally submitted the written nomination of Son on the 18th without any substantial consultation with the Blue House," adding, "The previous practice of consultation was a mechanism to prevent the Supreme Court from being formed solely based on the will of one party, which is regrettable as it undermines the foundation supporting the independence of the judiciary."

Regarding the appropriateness of the withdrawal request, Kang noted, "According to Article 104, Section 2 of the Constitution, Supreme Court Justices are appointed by the President with the consent of the National Assembly upon the Chief Justice's nomination," and emphasized that "the President is the representative elected directly by the people, and the Chief Justice is appointed by the President with the National Assembly's consent."

Kang further stated, "The nomination and appointment are powers allocated to different constitutional institutions under the principle of separation of powers," and emphasized that in light of the principle of popular sovereignty, the withdrawal request is not intended to replace or undermine the appointment power but to support its proper exercise."