Chief Justice Faces Deepening Deliberations, Postpones Statement on Supreme Court Justice Re-Nomination

The Supreme Court has decided to postpone its statement regarding the re-nomination issue of a Supreme Court justice, which was initially expected to be announced within this week.

In a media notice issued this afternoon (the 4th), the Supreme Court stated, "We are currently carefully reviewing the matter, and there are no plans to release a separate official statement today."

It added, "We will notify the public as soon as the review is finalized."

When the presidential office requested a re-nomination of a Supreme Court justice candidate on August 28, Chief Justice Cho told reporters on his way home from work, "I am reviewing the details and will officially announce our stance once things are sorted out next week."

However, following the passing of his father on Sunday, August 30, he did not go to work until September 2.

Upon returning to work yesterday after observing his father's funeral, he stated, "(Due to my father's passing) I have not discussed work-related matters at all," adding, "I will listen to the progress and speak officially once again."

Some interpret his cautious approach as stemming from the fact that if Chief Justice Cho announces his stance to proceed with a new candidate recommendation process—as speculated by some—it could lead to a direct collision with the presidential office.

At the center of attention is whether Chief Justice Cho will form a new Supreme Court Justice Recommendation Committee to select a successor for former Justice Roh Tae-ak, or re-nominate one of the remaining three previously recommended candidates as requested by the presidential office.

Ahead of former Justice Roh's retirement, the recommendation committee recommended four individuals in January of this year: Seoul High Court Senior Judges Kim Min-ki and Park Soon-young, Seoul High Court Judge Yoon Sung-sik, and Daegu District Court Judge Sohn Bong-ki.

However, the Chief Justice's nomination was not made for nearly seven months.

While it is customary for the Supreme Court to nominate a final candidate after completing behind-the-scenes consultations with the presidential office, this time the two sides failed to narrow their differences regarding the final candidate.

Ultimately, breaking tradition, Chief Justice Cho nominated Judge Sohn Bong-ki—on whom no agreement had been reached—via a written submission on August 18, but the presidential office demanded a re-nomination from the Supreme Court ten days later on the 28th.

Inside and outside the judiciary, many anticipate that the recommendation committee will be reconstituted to restart the recommendation process.

This is because the current Court Organization Act stipulates that "the Chief Justice shall form a recommendation committee whenever nominating a Supreme Court justice candidate."

At the same time, some interpretations suggest that the presidential office has signaled its intent for him to re-nominate one of the three remaining previously recommended candidates.

Senior Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung stated in a briefing that day, "We hope that the re-nomination process will be carried out as swiftly as possible, respecting the recommendations of the Supreme Court Justice Recommendation Committee."

However, critics within the judiciary point out that accepting such a demand would effectively paralyze the Chief Justice's nomination authority, as it would enable continuous demands for re-nominations until the presidential office's preferred candidate is nominated.

Although the Supreme Court did not specify the timing of today's statement, it is projected to release its position within next week.

With former Justice Roh Tae-ak retiring in March without a successor, the Supreme Court has had one vacancy for nearly half a year.

Furthermore, Justice Lee Heung-goo is scheduled to retire on the 7th, making a two-vacancy situation at the Supreme Court a reality.

Meanwhile, regarding Kim Sung-soo, who was nominated as the successor to Justice Lee Heung-goo, President Lee Jae-myung submitted a motion for confirmation to the National Assembly, kicking off the parliamentary confirmation hearing phase in earnest.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.