Supreme Court Begins Selection Process for Successors to Justices Kim Seonsu, Lee Dongwon, and Noh Jeonghee

The Supreme Court has initiated the procedure to select candidates for the three Supreme Court Justices who will retire on August 1 this year.

On the 12th, the Supreme Court announced that, regarding the nomination of successors for Justices Kim Seonsu, Lee Dongwon, and Noh Jeonghee, who are scheduled to retire on August 1, it will receive recommendations for suitable candidates for Supreme Court Justice from both inside and outside the judiciary from the 16th to the 26th of this month.

Supreme Court, Seocho-dong, Seoul.

Anyone aged 45 or older with more than 20 years of experience as a judge, prosecutor, or lawyer is eligible to be recommended as a Supreme Court Justice.

The qualifications for successor justices, the method of recommendation, and the recommendation form will be announced on the court’s website on the 15th.

After the recommendation period ends, the Supreme Court plans to disclose information regarding the educational background, major career history, assets, military service, and other details of those who consent to the review among the nominees, and gather broad opinions about them.

Subsequently, the Supreme Court Justice Candidate Recommendation Committee will review the recommended candidates and propose more than three times the number of candidates deemed suitable as Supreme Court Justice nominees.

The Chief Justice will select three individuals from among them and recommend their appointment to President Yoon Seok-yeol. The candidates must undergo a confirmation hearing and receive the National Assembly’s consent before assuming office.

According to the Court Organization Act, the Recommendation Committee consists of six ex officio members: the senior Supreme Court Justice, the head of the Court Administration Office, the Minister of Justice, the President of the Korean Bar Association, the President of the Korean Association of Law Professors, and the Chairperson of the Association of Law Schools; as well as four non-ex officio members: one judge who is not a Supreme Court Justice and three individuals who are not lawyers but possess scholarly knowledge, integrity, and extensive experience in various professional fields.

The Chief Justice will receive recommendations from inside and outside the judiciary from the 16th to the 22nd of this month to appoint the three non-ex officio external members of the Recommendation Committee.

The Supreme Court stated, "We hope that the Supreme Court Justice nomination process will be conducted transparently while gathering diverse opinions from various sectors of society, so that suitable candidates can be nominated who will faithfully uphold the Constitution, guarantee the fundamental rights of the people, and fulfill the role of the final bastion for social justice and human rights protection."

Justices Kim Seonsu, Lee Dongwon, and Noh Jeonghee began their terms in August 2018 after being appointed by former President Moon Jae-in.

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