The Appointment of Lee Kyun-yong: Tensions Rise as Confirmation Hearing Sparks Political Debate

2023-10-05 23:42:34
Supreme Court Chief Justice candidate Lee Kyun-yong is lost in thought during a confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the morning of September 19./News 1

The National Assembly will hold a plenary session at 2 p.m. on the 6th to vote on a motion to appoint Lee Kyun-yong as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. For an appointment motion to be passed, a majority of the registered members must be present and a majority of the members present must agree. If the Democratic Party of Korea, which has 168 seats, a majority of the total seats, objects, the appointment motion will be rejected.

It is known that there is a strong tendency within the Democratic Party to reject the appointment motion. The Democratic Party cites the fact that candidate Lee holds unlisted stocks of a family company and receives dividends, but omits this from his asset report, as a reason for his ineligibility. Hong Ik-pyo, floor leader of the Democratic Party, said at a party meeting on the 5th, “If it is rejected, it is entirely the responsibility of President Yoon Seok-yeol, who recommended unqualified personnel and failed to verify personnel.” The Democratic Party holds a general meeting of members prior to the plenary session to discuss whether to adopt rejection as the party line.

The People Power Party believes that the Democratic Party is pushing for a rejection to hinder the Yoon Seok-yeol government even though this candidate has no fatal flaws. Jae-ok Yoon, floor leader of the People Power Party, said on the 5th, “The Democratic Party’s opposition to this candidate even though his reasons for disqualification are not particularly greater than previous candidates for Supreme Court Chief Justice is an attempt to somehow hinder the government and ruling party.” The People Power Party believes that there is a possibility that the Democratic Party will actually reject the appointment motion, and plans to hold a general meeting of lawmakers to discuss measures prior to the plenary session.

The only time a motion to appoint the Supreme Court Chief Justice was rejected was in 1988, during the Roh Tae-woo administration, when a vote was held on Chief Justice Lee Ki-seung. If it is rejected, the President must start over from the process of nominating a candidate, so the Supreme Court Chief Justice vacancy might last for more than a month. Additionally, in situations where the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is vacant, it is difficult to proceed with a plenary session in which the Chief Justice serves as the presiding judge. There may also be setbacks in the process of recommending successors to Acting Chief Justice Ahn Cheol-sang and Justice Min Yu-sook, who are retiring on January 1 next year.

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