Kim Dae-woong, Chief Justice of the Seoul High Court, stated that the ongoing conflict between the Blue House and the Supreme Court, which has delayed the appointment of Supreme Court justices, is "undesirable."
During a National Assembly audit on October 16, Kim responded to a question from Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Dong-a regarding the nomination process for Supreme Court justices, saying, "It seems inappropriate to provide a specific answer here, but I do believe that it is not desirable for the Supreme Court to remain without justices."
When asked if Kim Min-ki, a judge recommended by the Supreme Court's candidate recommendation committee, possesses sufficient qualifications to become a Supreme Court justice, Kim replied, "It seems inappropriate to evaluate individuals, but I believe that those recommended by the committee must have the necessary qualifications to be nominated."
Earlier this year, the candidate recommendation committee proposed Kim Min-ki and Park Soon-young, both judges at the Seoul High Court, along with Yoon Seong-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-ack.
On August 18, Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae recommended Senior Judge Son to President Lee Jae-myung. However, the Blue House requested a re-nomination on August 28, citing a lack of 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 stated on September 22, 25 days after the re-nomination request, that he could not comply. Since then, the process for appointing a successor to the Supreme Court justice has been halted.
Regarding the conflict over the re-nomination of Supreme Court justices, Kim expressed the view that the appointment authority of the president, the recommendation authority of the Supreme Court chief, and the consent authority of the National Assembly are equal.
Lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun of the People Power Party questioned, "The Blue House explains that the Supreme Court chief's recommendation authority supports the president's appointment authority," to which Kim replied, "I do not believe there is a hierarchy among the recommendation authority, consent authority, and appointment authority."
This aligns with Chief Justice Cho's statement during the Supreme Court audit on October 6, where he emphasized that the recommendation authority of the Supreme Court chief, the consent authority of the National Assembly, and the appointment authority of the president should each be respected in accordance with their constitutional significance.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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