O Seok-jun, Chief Judge of Jeju District Court, Nominated as First Supreme Court Justice Candidate of Yoon Administration

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The first Supreme Court justice candidate to be appointed by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration has been selected as Oh Seok-jun, Chief Judge of Jeju District Court (60, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 19).

On the 28th, the Supreme Court announced that Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su recommended to President Yoon Suk-yeol the appointment of Chief Judge Oh from among the three new Supreme Court justice candidates recommended by the Supreme Court Justice Candidate Recommendation Committee.

Once President Yoon submits the appointment consent bill for candidate Oh Seok-jun to the National Assembly, the process of selecting a successor for the Supreme Court justice will officially begin. It usually takes about one month from the National Assembly confirmation hearing to appointment.

The new Supreme Court justice will succeed Justice Kim Jae-hyung, who is retiring in September. This will be the first Supreme Court justice appointment recommended by Chief Justice Kim and appointed by President Yoon.

Previously, the Supreme Court Justice Candidate Recommendation Committee recommended three candidates: Chief Judge Oh, Lee Gyun-yong, Chief Judge of Daejeon High Court (60, class 16), and Oh Young-jun, Presiding Judge of Seoul High Court (53, class 23).

The Supreme Court stated, "He possesses the fundamental virtues required of a Supreme Court justice, including a firm belief in judicial independence and protection of citizens' fundamental rights, sensitivity to the human rights of socially vulnerable and minority groups, as well as insight capable of embracing social diversity and the foresight to understand changes of the times, outstanding practical ability and legal knowledge, and rational and fair judgment skills."

Chief Judge Oh graduated from Gwangseong High School in Seoul and Seoul National University’s College of Law. He began his judicial career in 1990 as a judge at the Seoul District Court Western Branch.

He served twice as the Public Relations Officer of the Court Administration Office, was a professor at the Judicial Research and Training Institute, and worked as a presiding judge at a high court starting in 2013. Since last year, he has been serving as Chief Judge of Jeju District Court.

Previously, Chief Judge Oh requested a constitutional review of a provision in the Political Parties Act that cancels the registration of political parties that fail to obtain at least 2% of the total valid votes in a parliamentary election.

Subsequently, this provision was abolished following a ruling by the Constitutional Court declaring it unconstitutional, which is regarded as having contributed to strengthening the freedom to establish political parties.

He is also known for rulings such as upholding the legality of confiscating pro-Japanese property from those who served as members of the Central Advisory Council of the Government-General of Korea during the Japanese colonial period, and for ruling that the actions of a judge who sentenced 14 independence activists to prison terms constituted pro-Japanese and anti-national acts.

He once canceled the Seoul Detention Center’s decision to refuse the dispatch of a letter written by an inmate who was injured while incarcerated, reporting improper conduct by correctional authorities.

Chief Judge Oh, who is said to have a close connection with President Yoon, having prepared for the judicial examination together, is regarded within the judiciary as having a modest and gentle personality.

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