The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) has assigned the case involving Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, who was filed with a complaint on charges including abuse of authority regarding the controversy over the nomination of Supreme Court justices, to an investigative department and has begun reviewing it.

The CIO assigned the case—in which the civic group Citizens' Action for Justice (SaSeHaeng) filed a complaint against Chief Justice Cho on charges of abuse of authority and dereliction of duty on the 25th of last month—to Investigation Division 1 (headed by Senior Prosecutor Na Chang-soo) on the 27th of the same month.

Previously, SaSeHaeng filed the complaint with the CIO, claiming that Chief Justice Cho ignored custom and unilaterally nominated Supreme Court justice candidate Son Bong-ki in writing, thereby obstructing the president's legitimate exercise of personnel authority.

SaSeHaeng also applied charges of dereliction of duty, stating that Chief Justice Cho "intentionally neglected his duties by failing to nominate a successor to former Supreme Court Justice Noh Tae-ak to the president for more than seven months without justifiable cause."

On the 18th of last month, Chief Justice Cho nominated Son Bong-ki (60, Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 22), Chief Judge of the Daegu District Court, and Kim Sung-soo (57, Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 24), Senior Judge of the Seoul High Court, in writing to President Lee Jae-myung as successors to former Supreme Court Justices Noh Tae-ak and Lee Heung-goo.

Conventionally, the appointment of Supreme Court justices has proceeded through a method where the Chief Justice visits the president to make an "in-person nomination" after prior coordination.

In response, controversies have continued, with reactions emerging mainly from the ruling bloc calling it an "unprecedented unilateral notice in constitutional history."

The presidential office rejected Chief Justice Cho's written nomination of Supreme Court justice candidates on the 28th of last month, effectively requesting a re-nomination.

(Photo: Yonhap News)