Chief justice rejects presidential office request to re-recommend Supreme Court justice nominee

Seoul, September 22 – Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae has refused the presidential office's request to recommend a new candidate for a top court justice position, stating he cannot find any constitutional grounds to support the request. The presidential office had previously asked Cho to suggest a new nominee after expressing dissatisfaction with his initial recommendation of two Supreme Court justice nominees to President Lee Jae Myung.

However, Cho claimed that the request letter did not provide any specific reasons or constitutional justification for the re-recommendation. Cho emphasized that he cannot comply with the request, citing the absence of clear grounds or rationale. Cho had previously recommended Son Bong-kie of the Daegu District Court and Kim Sung-soo, a Seoul High Court judge, for appointment as new Supreme Court justices by the president.

Typically, the chief justice meets with the president to personally recommend a new Supreme Court justice after coordinating with both parties. In this case, Cho sent the nominee recommendations in writing due to the lack of agreement between the two sides on Son's nomination. Last week, Kim Sung-soo was confirmed as a new Supreme Court justice following the National Assembly's approval of his confirmation.