Chief justice rejects presidential request to renominate court candidate
Chief Justice Jo Hee-de said the presidential office gave no constitutional basis for seeking a new Supreme Court justice nominee.
Chief Justice Jo Hee-de leaves the Supreme Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul on Sept. 22.
YONHAP
Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de said Tuesday that he cannot comply with the presidential office's request to re-recommend a candidate for a top court justice post, saying he found no constitutional grounds for doing so.
Last month, the presidential office had asked Jo to recommend a new candidate after taking issue with his written recommendation of two Supreme Court justice nominees to President Lee Jae Myung.
Jo told reporters on Monday that the document concerning the request "does not specify the reasons for requesting a re-recommendation or the constitutional grounds for the request."
"I cannot find any other specific constitutional grounds or reasons to justify the request for re-recommendation," Jo said. "I therefore state that I cannot comply with the request."
Jo had recommended Son Bong-kie of the Daegu District Court and Kim Sung-soo, then a Seoul High Court judge, to be appointed as new Supreme Court justices by the president.
Usually, the chief justice visits the president to make a face-to-face recommendation for a new Supreme Court justice after prior coordination.
Jo instead notified the presidential office of his recommended nominees in writing after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on Son's nomination.
In response to Jo's refusal, the presidential office expressed "deep regret," saying the decision violates the Constitution.
"The chief justice's statement reflects a perception that his authority to recommend Supreme Court justices takes precedence over the president's authority to appoint them, which is contrary to the Constitution," the presidential office said in a statement sent to reporters.
"The chief justice should recognize that the prolonged vacancy of Supreme Court justice posts will ultimately harm the public and should no longer allow the current situation to continue," it added.
Last week, Kim Sung-soo was appointed as a new Supreme Court justice following the National Assembly's approval of his confirmation.
Yonhap
