Kim Dae-woong, Chief Judge of the Seoul High Court, stated that the ongoing vacancies in the Supreme Court due to conflicts between the Blue House and the Supreme Court are "unacceptable."
During a National Assembly audit on October 16, Kim responded to a question from Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Dong-ah regarding the Supreme Court justice nomination process, saying, "It seems inappropriate to provide a specific answer here, but I do believe that the continued vacancy of Supreme Court justices is not desirable."
When asked if he believes Kim Min-ki, a judge recommended by the Supreme Court Justice Candidate Recommendation Committee, possesses sufficient qualifications to become a Supreme Court justice, Kim replied, "It seems inappropriate to evaluate individuals, but I think those recommended by the committee must have the necessary qualifications to be nominated."
Earlier this year, the recommendation committee proposed judges Kim Min-ki and Park Soon-young from the Seoul High Court, as well as Yoon Sung-sik, a senior judge at the Seoul High Court, and Son Bong-ki, a senior judge at the Daegu District Court, to succeed former Supreme Court Justice Roh Tae-ak.
On August 18, Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae recommended Senior Judge Son to President Lee Jae-myung. However, on August 28, the Blue House requested a re-nomination, stating that the process lacked sufficient procedural completeness.
In response, Chief Justice Cho, after dealing with personal matters and attending the Asia-Pacific Chief Justices' Conference, deliberated on the related procedures and, 25 days after the Blue House's request, stated on September 22 that he could not comply with the re-nomination request. Since then, the nomination process for the Supreme Court justices has been halted.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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