Supreme Court Nominee Oh Seok-jun: "Abolishing the Death Penalty Is Desirable... Respect Current National Security Law"

Justice Oh Seok-jun Nominee for the Supreme Court
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Oh Seok-jun (60, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 19), a nominee for Supreme Court Justice, expressed the view that the death penalty should be abolished in the long term.

According to the legal community on the 27th, Oh stated in a written response submitted to the National Assembly ahead of the confirmation hearing, "For a long time, there have been opposing arguments regarding the retention and abolition of the death penalty, and both claims have valid grounds," adding, "The death penalty deprives human life itself under the state's punitive authority, and personally, I do not support it."

He continued, "Once the death penalty has been carried out, even if there is a wrongful judgment, it cannot be reversed, so I believe it is desirable to abolish the death penalty through legislation in the long term."

Regarding the issue of the National Security Act's retention or abolition, Oh said, "I think it is a legislative decision area to be determined by the National Assembly reflecting the will of the people," and added, "In the current situation where the National Security Act has not been abolished, it is appropriate as a judge to respect and judge based on the current law that has been ruled constitutional by the Constitutional Court."

He added, "However, it is necessary to ensure that the National Security Act does not excessively restrict the basic rights of the people or that its application is not abused," and "The current Supreme Court precedent, which presents strict interpretation standards, is reasonable."

Regarding the so-called 'executive order governance' controversy related to the Ministry of Justice's expansion of the prosecution's investigative scope, which had been reduced under the 'Complete Prosecution Reform Act' (amended Prosecutors' Office Act and Criminal Procedure Act) through revision of enforcement ordinances, the establishment of the Personnel Information Management Unit, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's creation of enforcement ordinances for the establishment of the Police Bureau, Oh expressed a fundamental position that "regulations in subordinate laws must comply with the scope and limits delegated by superior laws."

He also shared his views on past rulings. Regarding the 2011 ruling that upheld the dismissal of a bus driver for embezzling 800 won, he explained, "I thought about it a lot, but it seemed that embezzlement, regardless of the amount, left no room for disciplinary action other than dismissal under the collective agreement, etc."

Regarding the 2013 ruling that canceled the dismissal disciplinary action against a prosecutor who received entertainment from a lawyer, he stated that it was unclear whether the 850,000 won worth of hospitality received by the prosecutor at the time was related to his duties.

When asked whether he had a close relationship with President Yoon, he replied, "We were senior and junior by one year in university and knew each other while attending school, occasionally meeting while studying in the library, but we were not particularly close," adding, "We did not prepare for the bar exam together or participate in private gatherings."

The National Assembly's Special Committee on Personnel Hearings plans to hold a confirmation hearing for nominee Oh on the 29th.

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