Constitutional Court Justice Candidates, 'Kim Hyung-doo High Court Chief Judge · Jeong Jeong-mi High Court Judge'

Former Deputy Chief of the Court Administration Office Judge Kim, Advantage of Experience in Both 'Trial and Administration'
Judge Jeong, Representative Judge of Daejeon and Chungnam Region... Praised for Highly 'Complete' Rulings

Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo on the 6th nominated Kim Hyung-doo, Chief Judge of the Seoul High Court (age 57, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 19), and Judge Jung Jung-mi of the Daejeon High Court (age 53, class 25) as successor candidates for Constitutional Court Justices Lee Sun-ae and Lee Seok-tae, who are retiring this month and next month, respectively.

Chief Justice Kim nominated Chief Judge Kim as the successor to Justice Lee Sun-ae, who is scheduled to retire this month, and Judge Jung as the successor to Justice Lee Seok-tae, who is scheduled to retire next month.

Chief Justice Kim stated, "While keeping in mind the public's expectation for diversification in the composition of the Constitutional Court Justices, the main criteria for selection were whether the candidates possess a firm belief in constitutional values and the protection of citizens' fundamental rights, empathy and willingness to protect socially vulnerable and minority groups, and the ability to harmoniously embrace and insightfully understand the diverse values of our society."

Kim Hyung-doo, Chief Judge of Seoul High Court.

Chief Judge Kim served as Judicial Policy Research Counselor, Judicial Policy Second Counselor, and Senior Research Fellow at the Court Administration Office. From 2021 to 2022, he served as Deputy Director of the Court Administration Office, and in 2017, he worked as the Senior Civil Judge of the Seoul Central District Court.

Since his appointment as a judge at the Uijeongbu Branch of the Seoul District Court, Chief Judge Kim has been regarded as a seasoned judge who has handled various judicial duties including civil, criminal, patent, and bankruptcy cases at courts nationwide such as Seoul, Daejeon, Jeonju, and Gangneung for about 30 years. Within the judiciary, he is evaluated as well-versed in judicial administration, having served in various roles including counselor at the Court Administration Office, branch chief, senior research fellow, and senior judge.

One of Chief Judge Kim's notable rulings was in a case involving protests to abolish the Yushin Constitution, where he ruled that even if illegal acts such as torture were not proven during the investigation of a violation of Emergency Measure No. 9, the emergency measure itself was illegal and the state should bear compensation liability. Subsequently, the Supreme Court en banc adopted the legal principle of this ruling, changing previous precedents.

Additionally, Chief Judge Kim promoted various measures for the stable establishment of the comprehensive legal profession unification system, including improving the appointment procedures for legal professionals and expanding judicial assistants such as judicial researchers. He also led projects to build next-generation electronic litigation systems and future registration systems. Furthermore, he organized various online judicial service support systems in preparation for the untact era, including video trials, video conferences, and the establishment of new electronic courtrooms.

Jeong Jeong-mi, Judge at Daejeon High Court

Judge Jung, the only female among the recommended candidates, served as the head of the Gongju Branch of the Daejeon District Court and concurrently as the head of the Gongju Branch of the Daejeon Family Court. Since her appointment as a judge at the Bucheon Branch of the Incheon District Court in 1996, Judge Jung has been regarded as a representative judge of the Daejeon and Chungnam regions, handling various judicial duties including civil and criminal cases mainly in the Daejeon and Chungnam area for about 27 years.

She is evaluated as delivering concise, logically coherent, and highly complete rulings by combining profound legal knowledge and practical skills, exercising flexibility for concrete validity, and deriving fair and rational conclusions.

Judge Jung also made a ruling recognizing medical practitioners' liability for damages by presuming medical negligence and causation, thereby significantly easing the patient's burden of proof in a case where the patient suffered complete paralysis of both legs after surgery and claimed damages against the doctor, despite difficulties in proving the doctor's negligence during the surgery.

Earlier, after receiving recommendations from various sectors, the Supreme Court presented the Constitutional Court Justice Candidate Recommendation Committee with information on 27 candidates who agreed to the screening and opinions on their qualifications. The committee reviewed various materials and opinions and shortlisted eight candidates. Subsequently, Chief Justice Kim comprehensively evaluated the candidates and nominated Chief Judge Kim and Judge Jung as candidates for Constitutional Court Justices.

If nominated as a Constitutional Court Justice allocated to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the nominee becomes a Constitutional Court Justice after a National Assembly confirmation hearing without a separate approval vote. Unlike Supreme Court Justices, the appointment of Constitutional Court Justices does not require the consent of the National Assembly. Among the nine Constitutional Court Justices and the President of the Constitutional Court, three are appointed by the President, three by the National Assembly, and the remaining three by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The appointing authority is the President.

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