Roh Kyung-pil, Minister of Court Administration (Supreme Court Justice), addressed criticisms from the ruling party today (the 19th) that Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae unilaterally nominated a Supreme Court justice candidate, stating, "There was no opportunity to meet," and adding that the written nomination was discussed with the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs.

Attending a plenary meeting of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Minister Roh answered a question from Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Yong-min asking who came up with the idea for a written nomination, saying, "To be exact, there was no opportunity to meet," and adding, "We requested [a meeting], but it didn't happen."

He went on to say, "(The written nomination) came up during the process of consultations with the Blue House Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs' side," adding, "I do not accurately remember who proposed it first."

In response to the same question from Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chairperson Seo Young-kyo, Minister Roh stated, "It was a method decided upon by agreement and consultation with the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs," and "We agreed to proceed with a written nomination."

To the question asking if that meant they consulted and submitted Senior Judge Son Bong-gi through a written method, he answered, "We notified them on the last day. We asked what they thought about doing it this way (with Senior Judge Son)."

This is interpreted to mean that while consultations to proceed via a written format had been underway prior, they ultimately failed to reach an agreement on the candidate for nomination, prompting them to decide on Senior Judge Son on the day of the nomination and notify them in writing.

Minister Roh emphasized that consultations with the Blue House regarding the candidate to succeed Supreme Court Justice Roh were conducted until the end, but no agreement was reached.

In response to a question asking, "Do you think passing the responsibility back and forth like ping-pong is a proper posture for the judiciary toward the public?", he replied, "We did not pass the responsibility. We simply fulfilled our duties."

(Photo: Yonhap News)