Chief Justice Recommends Judge Lee Heung-gu for Appointment as New Supreme Court Justice (Comprehensive)

The Supreme Court on the 10th appointed Lee Heung-gu, Chief Judge of the Busan High Court (photo), as a new nominee for Supreme Court Justice. /

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Lee Heung-gu (57, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 22), Chief Judge of the Busan High Court, has been finally selected as the successor candidate for Justice Kwon Soon-il, who will retire next month.

On the 10th, the Supreme Court announced that Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su selected Chief Judge Lee from among three new Supreme Court justice candidates recommended by the Supreme Court Justice Candidate Recommendation Committee and proposed his appointment to President Moon Jae-in.

Candidate Lee was born in 1963 in Tongyeong, Gyeongnam, and graduated from Tongyeong High School and Seoul National University with a degree in Public Law. After passing the 32nd Judicial Examination in 1990, he began his judicial career at the Seoul Southern District Court. He has served as Chief Judge of the Eastern Branch of the Busan District Court and as a presiding judge at the Daegu High Court, and is currently serving as Chief Judge of the Busan High Court.

Earlier, on the 23rd of last month, the Supreme Court held a meeting of the Supreme Court Justice Candidate Recommendation Committee and shortlisted three candidates for recommendation to Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su: Bae Gi-yeol, Chief Judge of the Seoul Administrative Court (55, class 17), Chun Dae-yeop, Presiding Judge of the Seoul High Court (56, class 21), and Lee Heung-gu, Chief Judge of the Busan High Court (57, class 22).

Subsequently, Chief Justice Kim, considering opinions from various sectors of society, sought to appoint the most suitable candidate as a Supreme Court justice. The Supreme Court publicly disclosed the major rulings and work records of the three candidates recommended by the Justice Candidate Recommendation Committee and established an official opinion submission process to gather diverse views from both inside and outside the judiciary.

The Supreme Court evaluated Candidate Lee as possessing "the fundamental qualities required of a Supreme Court justice, including a firm belief in judicial independence, protection of citizens' fundamental rights, and safeguarding socially vulnerable and minority groups." It also explained that "he has earned trust not only within the court but also in the regional legal community through diligent and fair trials and balanced judgments, demonstrating rational and fair decision-making abilities."

Candidate Lee is also known for having been convicted of violating the National Security Act during his time at Seoul National University but later passing the 1990 judicial examination, becoming known as the "first judge convicted of violating the National Security Act." Notably, he accepted a retrial petition filed by the bereaved families of the Masan members of the National Guidance Alliance who were sentenced to death through military trials during the Korean War and made a decision to commence a retrial. This is regarded as the first case of a retrial commencement decision related to the National Guidance Alliance incident. He is a member of the Uri Law Research Association, a progressive judges' group within the court. He currently serves as the chairman of the Judicial Administration Advisory Council's Trial System Subcommittee. He is known to be close friends with former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was his university classmate.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.