Cheong Wa Dae has signaled displeasure over Chief Justice Jo Hee-dae's written nomination of Son Bong-gi — a senior judge at the Daegu District Court and 22nd-class graduate of the Judicial Research and Training Institute — for a Supreme Court seat, including a review of whether to reject the nomination, as the ruling and opposition parties intensify their exchanges.
On Friday, lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea, the Rebuilding Korea Party and the Progressive Party on the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee held an emergency press conference at the Assembly, urging Cheong Wa Dae to protect the president's legitimate appointment authority. "If Cheong Wa Dae accepts the nomination of candidate Son, which bypassed normal consultation and procedure, it will set yet another wrong precedent," they said. "Cheong Wa Dae must review every means permitted under the Constitution and the law to defend the president's rightful appointment power."
They also pressed Chief Justice Jo to prostrate himself before the public in apology and resign immediately.
On the question of impeaching Chief Justice Jo, however, the opposition appeared to be in cautious mode, focusing for now on building public opinion. Seo Young-gyo, a Democratic Party lawmaker who chairs the Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said in a YTN Radio interview Friday that she fundamentally believes impeachment is necessary, but added that the party's new leadership has just been formed and that it is important to fully inform the public about the matter and build broad consensus first.
The People Power Party, by contrast, pushed back sharply against Cheong Wa Dae's move to reject the nomination. Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok wrote on Facebook Friday: "Is there any precedent for a ruling party plastering banners reading 'Chief Justice, step down' across every corner of the country?" He criticized President Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party, saying "there is no group that surpasses them when it comes to doing the unprecedented."
Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok, in a KBS Radio interview, said he believes Cheong Wa Dae is scrutinizing the individual nominee — deciding this person is unacceptable for this or that reason. "President Lee is ultimately in a position of choosing the justices for his own criminal trial," Lee said. "At the very least, the separation of powers that every citizen understands must be upheld."
Meanwhile, Cheong Wa Dae issued a statement Thursday expressing strong regret over Chief Justice Jo's written nomination, calling it "an unprecedented event in the constitutional history of the Republic of Korea and a unilateral notification that skipped consultation entirely."
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