Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae has accepted the resignation of Noh Tae-ak, the Chair of the Election Commission, following the ballot shortage incident during the June 3 local elections.
According to legal sources on June 8, Chief Justice Cho has revoked Noh's nomination to the Election Commission and notified the commission of this decision.
Noh announced his resignation on June 5, just two days after the ballot shortage, stating, "I feel a deep sense of responsibility for the situation."
He added, "I will fully cooperate with all procedures to confirm the Election Commission's responsibilities, including a national investigation by the National Assembly, and I will not evade any responsibilities that may arise from the results."
The Election Commission consists of nine members: three appointed by the president, three elected by the National Assembly, and three nominated by the Chief Justice. Traditionally, the chair of the commission has been a Supreme Court Justice. Noh was appointed as chair in May 2022 by former Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo.
In March of this year, Chief Justice Cho had designated Justice Cheon Dae-yeop as Noh's successor ahead of Noh's retirement from the Supreme Court. However, the confirmation process for the new commissioner was not completed, allowing Noh to continue as chair after his retirement. The term for Election Commission members is six years and is separate from the term of Supreme Court Justices.
Meanwhile, President Lee Jae-myung met with National Assembly Speaker Cho Jung-sik, Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, Constitutional Court Chief Kim Sang-hwan, and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on the afternoon of June 8 to discuss the ballot shortage incident and to devise reforms for the election management system.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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