▲ Kim Sung-soo, Senior Judge at the Seoul High Court (Supreme Court Justice Nominee)
President Lee Jae-myung has requested a confirmation hearing and the appointment consent for Supreme Court Justice nominee Kim Sung-soo.
According to the National Assembly Bill Information System, President Lee submitted the "Motion for Appointment Consent of Supreme Court Justice (Kim Sung-soo)" to the National Assembly the previous day (the 31st).
Explaining the reason for requesting the appointment consent, President Lee stated regarding nominee Kim, "He is an orthodox judge who is well-versed in trial practices, possesses extensive legal knowledge, and has strived to faithfully guarantee the public's right to trial through fair and rational decisions."
President Lee also evaluated, "He is trusted and respected by court members for his warm, considerate, and benevolent personality. By providing sufficient deliberation to grant procedural satisfaction to the parties involved while laying the foundation for discovering substantive truth, he has earned deep trust from litigation participants."
In accordance with the National Act and the 인사청문회법 (Act on Hearings for Government Officials), the ruling and opposition parties plan to form a special committee on personnel hearings to initiate the confirmation hearing process for nominee Kim.
The special committee on confirmation hearings will consist of a total of 13 lawmakers—7 from the Democratic Party of Korea, 5 from the People Power Party, and 1 from a minor non-negotiating bloc—with the chairpersonship held by the People Power Party.
It is reported that the People Power Party plans to organize the special committee centered around lawmakers belonging to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee or those with legal backgrounds.
Previously, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Cho Hee-dae submitted a written recommendation to President Lee on the 18th of last month to appoint Senior Judges Kim Sung-soo and Son Bong-ki as successors to former Supreme Court Justices Noh Tae-ak and Lee Heung-goo.
On the 28th of last month, the presidential office submitted the appointment consent motion for nominee Kim to the National Assembly, but requested a re-recommendation for nominee Son, stating that his appointment consent motion lacked procedural completeness.
Born in Hampyeong, Jeollanam-do, nominee Kim began his judicial career as a judge at the Gwangju District Court in 1998. He has since served as a judge at the Haenam Branch of the Gwangju District Court, the Seoul High Court, Judicial Ethics Audit Coordinator for the National Court Administration, Senior Judge at the Jeju District Court, Senior Presiding Judge at the Cheongju District Court, and Head Professor at the Judicial Research and Training Institute.
In January of this year, regarding defendants who staged a riot at the Western District Court in protest of the issuance of an arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, he pointed out that "it led to an anti-constitutional result where the court could not fully perform its constitutional roles and functions," and sentenced them to guilty.
(Photo courtesy of the Supreme Court / Yonhap News file photo)
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