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Members of the Supreme Court Justice Nomination Committee are reviewing the profiles of nominees for the Supreme Court on June 5 at a conference room of the Supreme Court. Kim Jong-soo
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Roh gives go, nominees await assembly approval
South Korea’s Chief Justice Lee Yong-hun on Wednesday picked candidates to replace the five outgoing Supreme Court justices, heralding a shift in the landscape at the Supreme Court, which has been dominated by conservatives. The candidates are four senior judges and one ranking prosecutor, who are expected to replace the current figures when their six-year terms expire next month. If endorsed by the National Assembly, the Supreme Court will undergo a shift in its composition to seven conservatives, four centrists, and two reform-minded justices. That represents a change from the current conservative-dominated Supreme Court, an ideological profile in place since the era of military dictatorship in South Korea.Among the candidates, Lee Hong-hun, 60, and Chon Soo-an, 54, are especially known for their liberal positions in their rulings, stances which experts think would herald change at the Supreme Court. Other observers, however, say the new justices will not be enough to make any substantial change to the court’s profile. Justice Lee has put consideration into selecting the replacements, in order to keep a balance in the court’s composition, observers say. President Roh Moo-hyun accepted the recommendations for the five candidates at a luncheon meeting with the chief justice and is soon expected to call for parliamentary approval. The National Assembly is required to complete its confirmation process within 20 days of the government’s request and put it to vote before giving a final endorsement. The Supreme Court is composed of the chief justice and 12 justices. The court’s chief justice acts as the head of the judiciary branch of South Korea.
