[Person人] No Jeong-hee, Chair of the Election Commission, First Woman to Break the 'Seoul National University Law Male' Tradition

"Protecting the Rights of Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities Marginalized in Elections and Politics"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] On the 2nd, newly appointed National Election Commission Chairperson No Jeong-hee added another 'first' to her record. Since 2005, the seven previous chairpersons (Son Ji-yeol, Go Hyun-cheol, Yang Seung-tae, Kim Neung-hwan, Lee In-bok, Kim Yong-duk, Kwon Soon-il) were all men who graduated from Seoul National University’s Law School. She is the first female chairperson to graduate from Ewha Womans University’s Law School.

Next April, by-elections will be held in Seoul and Busan, followed by the presidential election in March 2022 and local elections in June of the same year. These megaton-scale schedules will serve as the compass for South Korea’s direction. These are also tasks assigned to Chairperson No until the end of the Supreme Court justices’ term in August 2024.

In her inaugural speech, she emphasized, "Recently, during every election, there have been cases where allegations of election fraud have been raised, leading to distrust in the commission’s political neutrality and the vote counting results," adding, "Even if it is only a few cases, we must dispel the public’s concerns by enhancing the professionalism of election management and identifying and improving shortcomings throughout the entire election process." This appears to be a remark mindful of the allegations of fraudulent voting raised by some after the general election in April.

Before the general election, the so-called 'satellite party' controversy grew, and criticism of the Election Commission’s role was not insignificant. There were also cases where candidates’ asset declarations during candidacy differed after winning. Strict and neutral election management is fundamental, and the importance of the Election Commission’s status and responsibilities is increasing in various ways.

The National Assembly’s Administration and Security Committee, while adopting the personnel hearing report, evaluated Chairperson No by stating, "She has faithfully fulfilled the basic duty of judges to protect socially vulnerable groups," and "If appointed as the first female National Election Commission Chairperson, it is expected to secure diversity in the commission’s composition and play a role for women and minorities."

In response, Chairperson No requested in her inaugural speech, "Please devise ways to protect the rights and interests of women, youth, and persons with disabilities who have been marginalized in elections and politics and to secure their representation," and "Please pay attention to ensuring that the commission’s personnel composition achieves gender equality and that a horizontal and equal organizational culture is established and developed."

She has a career that has opened new paths. As the first woman from a women’s university to be appointed as a Supreme Court justice, she ushered in an era where the number of female Supreme Court justices increased to four.

Born in 1963, Chairperson No passed the judicial examination in 1987 and was appointed as a judge at the Chuncheon District Court in 1990. She later served as chief judge at the Seoul Southern District Court, chief judge at the Seoul High Court, and director of the Court Library.

In a ruling related to the scope of clan members, she was praised for guaranteeing the principle of gender equality by recognizing children who changed their surname and clan affiliation to their mother’s as members of the mother’s clan. In a case involving sexual crimes against women with disabilities in a social welfare corporation, she ruled that violating the obligation to separate the perpetrator who is a corporate officer and the obligation to report and protect constitutes grounds for dismissal, contributing to the protection of socially vulnerable groups. She also presided over the Supreme Court ruling that acquitted former Prosecutor General Ahn Tae-geun, who was indicted for retaliatory personnel actions against Prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun, who was sexually harassed.

Her involvement in the 'Uri Law Research Association' and the 'Lawyers for a Democratic Society' (Minbyun) became grounds for opposition parties to attack her neutrality. In response, Chairperson No stated at the confirmation hearing that the Uri Law Research Association was "an academic research group," and when asked if she was ashamed of her activities in the Uri Law Research Association and Minbyun, she answered, "No, not at all."

In her inaugural speech, she stressed, "Fairness and neutrality can never be overemphasized," adding, "Whether ruling party, opposition, or independent, there can be no consideration of any specific party or faction. There is no conservative or progressive." She continued, "We have the responsibility to enhance public trust by making the entire election process more transparent," and "We must also study and support systems and methods that ensure the transparent and smooth operation of political fund procurement and expenditure."

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