Son In-hyuk, the head of the Constitutional Court's secretariat, expressed a cautious stance on the conflict between President Lee Jae-myung and Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae regarding the nomination of a Supreme Court justice during a National Assembly audit on October 13.
In response to a question from Democratic Party lawmaker Park Kyun-taek about whether the Chief Justice's nomination power is constitutionally defined but ultimately subject to the President's appointment authority, Son stated, "This is an issue of interpreting Article 104, Section 2 of the Constitution."
Article 104, Section 2 of the Constitution stipulates that "Supreme Court justices are appointed by the President with the consent of the National Assembly upon the recommendation of the Chief Justice."
He added, "Since a dispute over authority has been filed with the Constitutional Court, it is not appropriate to express personal or institutional opinions before the court's ruling is made."
The People Power Party filed a dispute with the Constitutional Court on September 21, arguing that President Lee's request for a re-nomination of Chief Justice Cho's recommendation for the appointment of Senior Judge Son Bong-ki infringed upon the legislative rights of National Assembly members. The authority dispute adjudication is a system in which the Constitutional Court determines the existence or scope of authority between state institutions.
In response to a question from Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Han-kyu regarding whether the authority dispute case meets the examination requirements, Son replied, "Authority dispute cases must necessarily go through a hearing," and added, "The case is currently under review, and we are discussing the direction of its handling." Regarding Kim's assertion that the case should be dismissed, Son noted, "While it is possible to make such a judgment based on precedents, each case is different."
Meanwhile, a heated exchange occurred between lawmakers over remarks made by People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo. Joo stated, "When I pointed out the issues surrounding President Lee's luxury golf, the Democratic Party collectively reacted as if they had received orders from the Blue House." He further claimed, "While they call me a 'cyber wrecking crew,' the real master of foul language and a cyber wrecking crew is President Lee."
Democratic Party lawmakers shouted in protest against Joo's comments, and People Power Party members responded, leading to a chaotic scene in the National Assembly audit room. Democratic Party lawmaker Seo Young-kyo, the chair of the Legal Affairs Committee, intervened, urging both sides to cease their exchanges.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.