Supreme Court Justice nominee Kim Sung-soo (57, Judicial Research and Training Institute 24th term) stated that if the allegations regarding the warrant judge mentioned in Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won's "new drug lobbying suspicion" are true, "severe disciplinary action could be taken."

Nominee Kim gave this response during a National Assembly confirmation hearing on the 14th when People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo brought up the controversy surrounding Presiding Judge Jung In-jae's dismissal of an arrest warrant for the founder of Genencell in 2023, asking, "If you had been the ethics audit officer, what measures would you have taken?"

Judge Jung was previously photographed with Kim Seung-won and an individual identified as Yang, who is known as a broker in the 2022 new drug lobbying suspicions. The following year, while working as a warrant-dedicated judge at the Seoul Western District Court, Judge Jung dismissed the arrest warrant for Kang, the founder of Genencell and the core figure of the allegations, sparking controversy.

It was later revealed that Judge Jung's son worked as a legislative assistant in lawmaker Kim Seung-won's office for three months.

In response to Lawmaker Joo's inquiry, Nominee Kim stated, "Since I do not know the overall facts themselves, it is difficult to comment further on that part, and the facts need to be verified." He added, "However, if what the lawmaker says is true, I think severe disciplinary action could be taken."

He went on to say, "In courts, one can often see the Chinese characters 'Mushinbulrip' (meaning a government or institution cannot stand without trust), which signifies that the court cannot exist without public trust," adding, "I think all judges need to be even more careful and mindful."

Regarding the ruling bloc's pressure on the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to resign, Nominee Kim expressed the view that it is undesirable.

In response to a question from People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Yong-geun asking whether he thinks it is desirable for the political sphere to pressure the Chief Justice to resign over the exercise of constitutionally granted powers, Nominee Kim replied, "It is an area of court administration, so such criticism can be made under checks and balances, but as a member of the judiciary, it is difficult for me to view it as desirable."

Regarding the relocation of the Supreme Court building to a regional area, which has been discussed in political circles, he stated, "Given that most citizens are in Seoul, we cannot ignore judicial accessibility." He added, "While it would be one of several factors to consider, personally, it is difficult to say that relocating to another place is the right move."

However, after confirmation hearing special committee chairman Kim Do-eup pointed out that the statement "most citizens reside in Seoul" was incorrect, Nominee Kim apologized, saying, "I should have said the Seoul metropolitan area rather than just Seoul. I apologize for causing confusion with my definitive expression."

(Photo: Yonhap News)