Parties Clash over Chief Justice’s Testimony at Supreme Court Audit

The ruling and opposition parties clashed at a parliamentary audit of the Supreme Court over whether Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae should answer questions as a regular witness. Cho attended the audit and apologized for the prolonged vacancy on the Supreme Court.

Cho also addressed the presidential office's request to recommend a new court justice, saying it is difficult to comply due to a lack of specific reasons and constitutional grounds. According to Cho, the presidential office's document requesting the new recommendation did not provide enough information to proceed with follow-up procedures.

The prolonged vacancy has caused concern, with Cho expressing his apologies to the public and vowing efforts to resolve the issue. The Supreme Court chief justice's role in recommending new justices is outlined in the Constitution, which states that Supreme Court justices are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the chief justice and with the consent of the National Assembly.

Brief written by urgent.news from KBS World Radio, Yonhap News, The Korea Times — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.