Yoon Appoints New Chief Justice Lee Gyun-yong... "The Right Person to Lead with Principles and Common Sense" (Update)

Presidential Office: "A Traditional Judge Devoted Solely to Trials and Research... Expecting Principles, Justice, and Common Sense"

President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 22nd nominated Lee Gyun-yong, Chief Judge of the Seoul High Court, as the candidate for the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Kim Dae-gi, Chief of Staff to the President, held a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office that morning and officially announced the next Chief Justice candidate after completing the personnel screening.

Chief of Staff Kim evaluated, "Chief Judge Lee is a traditional judge who has devoted himself solely to trials and research for 32 years," adding, "He received the Disability Rights Stepping Stone Award for rulings that significantly expanded the rights of persons with disabilities, and has led the advancement of human rights for socially vulnerable groups through rulings that protect workers' rights and broadly recognize individuals' portrait rights." He continued, "Based on his extensive trial experience, he listens to diverse social voices and is judged to be the right person to lead the judiciary grounded in principles, justice, and common sense."

Lee Gyunyong, Chief Judge of the Seoul High Court, nominated as the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. [Photo provided by the Presidential Office]

Candidate Lee is from Haman, Gyeongnam, graduated from Busan Jungang High School and Seoul National University School of Law, and was appointed as a judge through the 16th Judicial Research and Training Institute class. He has served as a Supreme Court Judicial Researcher, Chief Judge of the Seoul Central District Court, Chief Judge of the Gwangju High Court and Seoul High Court, Chief Judge of the Seoul Southern District Court, and Chief Judge of the Daejeon High Court. Last year, he was already recommended as the first Supreme Court Justice candidate under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, having been nominated as a successor to Justice Kim Jae-hyung.

Candidate Lee is classified as a representative conservative judge within the judiciary. One reason President Yoon ultimately nominated him was the judgment that the judicial system established under Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su’s leadership was not functioning properly.

The issue lies with the National Assembly. Candidate Lee must obtain the consent of a majority of attending members after a confirmation hearing in the National Assembly, with at least a majority of all members present. Given the current situation of a National Assembly where the ruling party holds fewer seats than the opposition, the intentions of opposition parties such as the Democratic Party remain the biggest variable this time as well.

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