Kim Seong-soo's nomination for Supreme Court Justice has passed the National Assembly's threshold on September 17. If approved by President Lee Jae-myung, he will become the first Supreme Court Justice appointed under the current administration, with an appointment expected as early as this week.
During the afternoon session, the National Assembly voted on Kim's nomination, with 227 members in favor, 28 against, and 13 abstentions out of 268 present.
Kim is set to succeed former Justice Lee Heung-gu, who retired on September 7. Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae recommended Kim to President Lee on August 18, and the president submitted the nomination to the National Assembly on August 31.
The National Assembly's Special Committee on Personnel Hearings held a hearing on September 14 to assess Kim's qualifications and ethics, and on September 16, the committee adopted a report on the hearing's findings with bipartisan agreement. The report included contrasting opinions: the Democratic Party expressed confidence in Kim's qualifications, while the People Power Party criticized his responses to key constitutional and social issues as vague.
With Kim's nomination now approved by the National Assembly, only President Lee's final endorsement remains. Given that two Supreme Court positions are currently vacant, there is speculation that the presidential endorsement could occur within the week.
Following the retirement of former Justice Noh Tae-ack in March and the recent departure of former Justice Lee, two of the 14 Supreme Court seats have been unfilled for over ten days.
If President Lee endorses Kim's nomination, he will immediately begin a six-year term, marking the first Supreme Court Justice appointed since the current administration took office.
However, the successor to former Justice Noh has yet to be determined, suggesting it may take some time to fill all 14 Supreme Court positions. Chief Justice Cho recommended Judge Son Bong-ki of the Daegu District Court as Noh's successor on August 18, but the Blue House requested a re-nomination on August 28, citing a lack of prior consultation.
The Blue House reiterated its call for a prompt re-nomination on September 11, but Chief Justice Cho has been deliberating for over three weeks.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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