Adoption of Hearing Report on Constitutional Court Justice Jeong Hyung-sik... Opposition Party's 'Ineligible' Opinion

National Assembly Judiciary Committee Adopts 'Personnel Hearing Report'
Ruling Party: "Possesses Conviction, Balance, and Expertise"
Opposition: "Ideologically Biased... Lacks Sensitivity to Human Rights"

The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee convened a plenary session on the 18th and adopted the personnel hearing report for nominee Jeong Hyeong-sik as a Constitutional Court Justice. However, the opposition party's 'unqualified' opinion was also recorded.

The committee had previously held a personnel hearing for nominee Jeong on the 12th. The People Power Party emphasized Jeong's expertise and sense of balance as a presidential nominee and expressed an 'qualified' opinion. On the other hand, the Democratic Party pointed out issues such as Jeong's 2018 appellate ruling in the case of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong's state affairs manipulation and the issuance of diplomatic passports to minor children, expressing an 'unqualified' opinion.

Constitutional Court Justice Nominee Jeong Hyeong-sik Photo by Yonhap News

The final adopted hearing report on the day included both qualified and unqualified opinions. The report stated that "the nominee is judged to possess the abilities, qualities, expertise, and experience necessary to perform the duties of a Constitutional Court Justice," reflecting the ruling party committee members' qualified opinions. Specifically, "the nominee has shown a principled attitude by responding that he can express differing opinions based on constitutional principles and laws even against the president's wrong decisions, and has maintained a cautious stance respecting the legislative branch's authority in recent impeachment cases."

The opposition party committee members' unqualified opinions were also included. The report stated, "It is difficult to see that the nominee possesses the qualities and sense of balance necessary to resolve various social conflicts and protect fundamental rights as a Constitutional Court Justice, and due to ideological bias, it is hard to expect political neutrality and fairness from the Constitutional Court."

In particular, it was pointed out that "the nominee's eldest and second sons have not clearly proven the sources of assets that increased unreasonably during their university years when they had no income, failing to dispel suspicions of gift tax evasion," and "it was inappropriate to have accompanied his two sons on an international training trip, have them issued diplomatic passports, and not prepare a training result report."

Furthermore, regarding the trial related to Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong's state affairs manipulation case, where the amount of bribes was reduced and a suspended sentence was given, the report evaluated that "it is difficult to see that social justice and public common sense were considered." Regarding the second trial of former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, where a two-year prison sentence was handed down, the opinion reflected was that "there is a lack of sensitivity to fundamental rights and human rights violations."

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