Ahn Cheol-soo calls on chief justice to halt Supreme Court justice nominations until Lee pledges non-interference

People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo said Chief Justice Jo Hee-dae and the Supreme Court should refrain from nominating any new justices until President Lee Jae Myung publicly declares he will not interfere in the nomination process.

Ahn made the remarks Wednesday in a Facebook post, noting that President Lee is currently standing trial in five separate cases — involving Daejang-dong, inter-Korean fund transfers, the Public Official Election Act, corporate card use and suborning perjury — making him the first sitting president in constitutional history to face such proceedings.

"President Lee can appoint 21 more Supreme Court justices during his remaining term," Ahn said. "If his cases go all the way to the third and final appeal after he leaves office, the justices he handpicked will be the ones delivering the verdict. That is precisely why President Lee must not be involved in nominating Supreme Court justices."

Ahn said the situation amounted to a conflict of interest and grounds for disqualification under criminal procedure. "Despite this, the defendant is fighting tooth and nail to choose his own judges — solely fixated on securing his safety after leaving office," he said.

He said it would constitute "judicial submission and the destruction of democracy" if the Supreme Court were to search for new candidates and consult with Cheong Wa Dae again. "Chief Justice Jo and the Supreme Court must suspend all nomination proceedings — including the formation of the Supreme Court Justice Candidate Recommendation Committee and every step of the candidate recommendation process — until President Lee declares he will not interfere," Ahn said.

"This is the path to upholding the separation of powers — the most fundamental value of democracy — and to defending democracy in South Korea," he said. Ahn called on the Supreme Court to demand that "defendant President Lee keep his hands off the nomination process," adding that if Lee refused, the court should make clear that he would not be permitted to appoint a single Supreme Court justice during his term, with the exception of the chief justice.

Ahn said he looked forward to seeing Chief Justice Jo and the members of the Supreme Court demonstrate the resolve needed to defend judicial independence.