Supreme Court Justice Succession: Focus on Justice Lee Heung-gu's Seat as Retirement Looms

Amidst ongoing delays in the appointment of a successor to Supreme Court Justice Roh Tae-hak, attention is now also focused on the upcoming retirement of Justice Lee Heung-gu in September. The appointment of new Supreme Court justices has been postponed. The Supreme Court is expected to form a Nomination Recommendation Committee this month to select candidates for Justice Lee Heung-gu's successor. Following Justice Roh Tae-hak's retirement, four individuals – Kim Min-ki, Park Soon-young, Son Bong-ki, and Yoon Sung-sik – were recommended as successors, but no appointment has been finalized. Notably, Kim Min-ki, a Senior Judge at the Seoul High Court, is married to Constitutional Court Justice Oh Joon.

Some within the judiciary have expressed concerns about the impropriety of a married couple simultaneously holding positions as a Supreme Court Justice and a Constitutional Court Justice. Constitutionally, the authority to nominate Supreme Court justices lies with the Chief Justice, while the power to appoint them rests with the President. Proposals are being discussed to re-examine the pool of candidates through the newly formed Nomination Recommendation Committee. Ki Woo-jong, the Deputy Minister of Court Administration, is currently serving as acting Minister of Court Administration, and the nomination for the Minister of Court Administration is expected to be tied to the Supreme Court justice appointment process. According to the Court Organization Act, the Minister of Court Administration is an ex officio member of the Nomination Recommendation Committee, leading to speculation that the Chief Justice may find it difficult to leave the position vacant.