Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae reaffirmed on September 23 that he cannot comply with the Blue House's request for the reappointment of Supreme Court Justice nominee Son Bong-ki, stating, "The reasons for the request are not clearly stated in the official document." He also challenged the Blue House's assertion that there were procedural flaws in the reappointment process.
In a follow-up statement issued through the Supreme Court, Cho emphasized that "clear grounds and reasons must be presented in the document for its validity to be unquestioned and for the procedures to proceed in accordance with the Constitution and laws."
Regarding the alleged procedural flaws in the reappointment process, he remarked, "It is difficult to accept this claim based on the provisions of the Constitution and laws." The Blue House had previously stated on August 28 that the request for Son's reappointment lacked sufficient procedural completeness.
In a statement the day before, Cho referenced Article 82 of the Constitution, clarifying that his mention was intended to indicate that the President's actions must be interpreted according to the document, and he did not imply that the August 28 document had formal defects. The Blue House responded by accusing Cho of distorting facts to suggest that the document had formal flaws.
Cho also apologized for the public inconvenience caused by the prolonged vacancy of Supreme Court justices and expressed his commitment to expedite the process. However, he did not comment on the method for subsequent appointments.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.