Supreme Court Justice Candidates Nominated: Son Bong-ki and Kim Sung-soo Put Forward for Appointment

Chief Justice Cho Hee-de has officially recommended Son Bong-ki, Senior Judge at the Daegu District Court, and Kim Sung-soo, Senior Judge at the Seoul High Court, to President Lee Jae-myung as successors to former Supreme Court Justices Noh Tae-ak and Lee Heung-goo.

Once President Lee submits the appointment consent motions to the National Assembly, the selection process for the new Supreme Court justices, including confirmation hearings, will officially begin.

With the nomination for the successor to former Justice Noh Tae-ak—who retired in March—having been delayed, leading to a prolonged vacancy on the bench, and with Justice Lee Heung-goo's retirement approaching in September, the selection processes for both successors have been combined, resulting in the simultaneous nomination of the two candidates.

Born in Busan, Senior Judge Son Bong-ki graduated from Dalseong High School and Korea University's College of Law.

As a regional judge who has spent much of his career in the Daegu and Ulsan areas, he has served as a judicial researcher at the Supreme Court and a professor at the Judicial Research and Training Institute.

He served as the Chief Judge of the Daegu District Court during the tenure of former Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su and has been recommended as a Supreme Court justice candidate since 2021.

Senior Judge Kim Sung-soo was born in Hampyeong, Jeollanam-do, and graduated from Gwangju Inseong High School and Hanyang University's College of Law.

Starting his judicial career as a judge at the Gwangju District Court in 1998, he has held various positions including judge at the Haenam Branch of the Gwangju District Court, judge at the Seoul High Court, Ethics Audit Deliberation Officer at the National Court Administration, Senior Judge at the Jeju District Court, Senior Presiding Judge at the Cheongju District Court, and Chief Professor at the Judicial Research and Training Institute.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
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