▲ Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae arrives at the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu on the 22nd.
Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae stated today (the 22nd) that he cannot comply with Cheong Wa Dae's request to re-nominate a candidate for Supreme Court Justice.
Chief Justice Cho told reporters today, "An official act of the President under the law must be executed through a document countersigned by the Prime Minister and the relevant state minister." He added, "The only document related to this re-nomination request is the 'Request for Re-nomination of Supreme Court Justice Candidate' dated August 28, which does not specify the concrete reasons or constitutional basis for requesting the re-nomination."
He further stated, "I cannot find any other specific constitutional basis or reason that would justify the re-nomination request," adding, "I hereby announce that I cannot comply with the request for re-nomination."
Chief Justice Cho's position comes 25 days after Cheong Wa Dae practically rejected Chief Justice Cho's written nomination of candidate Son Bong-ki and requested a re-nomination on August 28 of last month.
The previous day, Chief Justice Cho attended the appointment ceremony for newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Kim Sung-soo held at Cheong Wa Dae and met with President Lee Jae-myung.
President Lee departed the country for an overseas trip on the same day.
With Chief Justice Cho releasing a statement directly refuting Cheong Wa Dae today, the conflict surrounding the nomination of Supreme Court Justices has escalated into a full-scale clash.
The dispute over Supreme Court Justice nominations has persisted since January 21, when the Candidate Recommendation Committee nominated four candidates to succeed former Supreme Court Justice Noh Tae-ak: Seoul High Court Judges Kim Min-ki and Park Soon-young, Seoul High Court Senior Judge Yoon Sung-sik, and Daegu District Court Senior Judge Son Bong-ki.
It has traditionally been customary for Cheong Wa Dae and the judiciary to reach a behind-the-scenes agreement before the Chief Justice formally nominates the final candidate, but the two sides failed to find common ground regarding a suitable candidate.
As the vacancy in the Supreme Court Justice position prolonged, Chief Justice Cho eventually broke with tradition on August 18 of last month by officially nominating Senior Judge Son Bong-ki, on whom an agreement had not been reached.
Ten days later, on August 28 of last month, Cheong Wa Dae demanded a re-nomination, stating that it was "a unilateral written nomination without substantive consultation."
While Cheong Wa Dae hinted at a desire for a re-nomination of one of the remaining three candidates excluding Judge Son from the previously recommended four, legal circles observed that Chief Justice Cho would likely restart the process from the formation of the candidate recommendation committee.
The seat for the successor to former Supreme Court Justice Noh Tae-ak has remained vacant for over 200 days.
As Chief Justice Cho stated today that he cannot accept Cheong Wa Dae's request for re-nomination, the possibility of an even more prolonged vacancy has grown.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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