Nomination of Lee Gyunyong as Chief Justice Rejected... Second Time Since 1988

Democratic Party Holds Party Meeting to Adopt Party Line
Ruling Party: "Indefinite Absence of Supreme Court Chief Justice"

On the afternoon of the 6th, the National Assembly rejected the appointment consent bill for Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee Lee Gyun-yong in a plenary session vote. The People Power Party accused the Democratic Party of Korea of strategically rejecting the appointment consent bill and held them responsible for the resulting 'judicial vacuum.'

On the same day, the National Assembly held a plenary session and conducted a secret ballot on the appointment consent bill for the Supreme Court Chief Justice. The result was 118 votes in favor, 175 against, and 2 abstentions out of 295 votes, leading to the final rejection of nominee Lee's appointment consent bill.

On the 6th, after the rejection of the appointment consent bill for Chief Justice Lee Gyun-yong at the National Assembly plenary session, members of the People Power Party are leaving. 2023.10.6 [Image source=Yonhap News]

This is the second time in constitutional history that the appointment consent bill for the Supreme Court Chief Justice has failed to pass the National Assembly. Previously, in 1988, the appointment consent bill for nominee Jeong Gi-seung was also rejected.

During the confirmation hearing, nominee Lee faced controversy over the omission of unlisted stocks owned by a company run by his in-laws and the failure to report his children's overseas accounts. The committee members who gave a qualified opinion viewed these as simple mistakes, stating that "sending foreign currency for living expenses is not subject to taxation."

On the other hand, committee members who judged him unqualified concluded that "there is a possibility of violating the Public Officials Ethics Act, and despite remitting over $60,000 in seven years, taxes were not paid; also, considering that his son acquired land in Busan when he was one year old, it appears to be an illegal gift."

Just before the vote, the Democratic Party held a party caucus where they adopted the rejection of nominee Lee's appointment consent bill as the party line, making the rejection almost certain. For the appointment consent bill to pass, a majority of the total members must be present, and a majority of those present must vote in favor. Out of 298 seats, the Democratic Party holds 168.

Yoon Young-duk, the Democratic Party floor spokesperson, told reporters after the caucus at the National Assembly that "Floor Leader Hong Ik-pyo proposed the party line rejection after gathering opinions from Democratic Party members who believed that nominee Lee has several issues regarding his ability and qualifications to protect judicial independence and perform his duties as a high-ranking public official." Yoon added, "After the decision-making process, all attending members unanimously agreed to adopt the rejection as the party line."

Meanwhile, the People Power Party adopted approval of the nominee as their party line. Therefore, after the rejection of the appointment consent bill, the People Power Party held a protest rally at the Rotunda Hall of the National Assembly main building.

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 6th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Yoo Sang-beom, senior spokesperson for the People Power Party, criticized, "The Democratic Party's strategic calculation, which disregards the people, has stopped the judiciary and damaged the separation of powers. We are now facing an indefinite absence of a Supreme Court Chief Justice, and the confusion throughout the judiciary has become evident."

Yoo also criticized the Democratic Party for adopting the rejection as the party line, saying, "This completely ignores the intent of the National Assembly Act, which mandates a secret ballot to respect the opinions of individual lawmakers on personnel matters, including appointment consent bills. Therefore, this outcome is not surprising."

Jeon Ju-hye, floor spokesperson for the People Power Party, said, "Nominee Lee Gyun-yong was consistently mentioned as a Supreme Court Justice candidate during the Moon Jae-in administration. He was nominated as a successor to former Supreme Court Justices Lee Sang-hoon and Park Byung-dae in 2017, to former Justices Ko Young-han, Kim Chang-seok, and Kim Shin in 2018, and also to former Justice Kim So-young, demonstrating that nominee Lee was fully recognized for his qualifications and abilities."

She added, "Only one thing has changed: the nominator changed from President Moon Jae-in to President Yoon Suk-yeol. Ultimately, due to the Democratic Party's impure intentions, the judiciary, which is the last bastion of justice and human rights, is now facing an unprecedented emergency situation with a prolonged vacancy in the Supreme Court Chief Justice position."

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