55% of South Koreans say Chief Justice Cho should step back and nominate a new candidate
According to a public opinion poll released on the 1st, 55% of South Koreans said Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-de should consult with President Lee Jae-myung and nominate a different candidate (the procedure of selecting and recommending a nominee for appointment). The response that 'the Chief Justice should reconsult with the president and nominate a different candidate' stood at 55%, higher than the 34% who said 'the president should appoint the candidate nominated by the Chief Justice.' The survey was a National Barometer Survey (NBS) conducted by telephone interview from September 28 to 30 with 1,000 adults aged 18 or older, jointly by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research. The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, and details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
In every age group except those in their 70s and older (40%), the response 'nominate a different candidate after consultation' outnumbered 'appoint the Chief Justice's nominee.' By ideological leaning, the view that the Chief Justice should consult with the president and nominate a different candidate was highest among progressives at 78%, followed by moderates at 57%. Among conservatives, a majority of 52% said the president should appoint the candidate nominated by the Chief Justice.
The survey comes after Chief Justice Cho rejected President Lee's request to re-nominate a Supreme Court justice. On September 18, Cho formally nominated Busan District... — actually, Daegu District Court Presiding Judge Son Bong-ki as the successor to former Justice Noh Tae-ak, but the presidential office on September 28 declined to submit the appointment consent motion to the National Assembly, saying the nomination was made 'without substantive consultation,' and demanded a re-nomination. On September 22, Chief Justice Cho said he could not comply with the re-nomination request, stating that it lacked 'specific grounds and a constitutional basis.'
The Democratic Party of Korea has selected Chief Justice Cho as a general witness for the Supreme Court's parliamentary audit, scheduled for October 6.
