Cheong Wa Dae blasts chief justice's refusal to re-nominate Supreme Court justice as 'unconstitutional'

Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday sharply criticized Chief Justice Jo Hee-dae's announcement that he would refuse to re-nominate a successor to former Supreme Court Justice Noh Tae-ak, calling the stance "contrary to the Constitution."

In a press notice, Cheong Wa Dae said it "expresses deep regret over the chief justice's announcement that he will not re-nominate a candidate for the seat vacated by former Justice Noh, despite the president's rejection of the original nomination."

It noted that more than six months had passed since Noh's retirement on March 3, adding that "with each justice handling between 3,500 and 4,600 cases per year, a single vacancy directly translates into a violation of the public's right to a speedy trial."

Cheong Wa Dae particularly took aim at the constitutional relationship between the chief justice's nomination power and the president's appointment power, saying the chief justice's position amounted to "a belief that the chief justice's nomination power supersedes the president's appointment power — a view that is contrary to the Constitution of the Republic of Korea."

It went on to say that "the notion that the president must automatically appoint whomever the chief justice nominates effectively nullifies the appointment power of a president elected by the people," criticizing the stance as an overreach.

Cheong Wa Dae urged the chief justice to "squarely face the fact that a prolonged vacancy on the Supreme Court harms the public" and called on him to stop allowing the situation to continue.