{
  "id": 12572438,
  "title": "Lee, chief justice must end stalemate",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/lee-chief-justice-must-end-stalemate-12572438",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-07T07:27:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/opinion/editorial/20261007/ed-lee-chief-justice-must-end-stalemate"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae has clarified that President Lee Jae Myung lacks the authority to interfere in the recommendation process for a new nominee to the top court. During the National Assembly audit of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Cho defended the judiciary's independence and separation of powers by refusing to testify under oath, instead delivering a prepared statement. He emphasized that both the National Assembly and the president do not possess the power to interfere with the chief justice's recommendation. This marked a departure from previous practices, where chief justices had only read prepared statements and the minister of National Court Administration would then answer questions on behalf of the judiciary. Cho's appearance in the audit provided a unique opportunity for him to directly address lawmakers' inquiries, something not commonly seen in recent years.",
  "summary": "Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae broke his silence on President Lee Jae Myung's recent request that he recommend another nominee for the top court, saying that the president has no authority to interfere in the recommendation process. At the National Assembly audit of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Cho cited the separation of powers and judicial independence when he initially refused to…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Lee, chief justice must end stalemate",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/lee-chief-justice-must-end-stalemate",
        "published": "2026-10-07T07:02:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}