Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae returns amid judicial appointment dispute

Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae has returned to work following his father's funeral, amid a growing conflict between the judiciary and the Blue House regarding the appointment of Supreme Court justices.

The dispute centers on the nomination of successors for retiring justices. While the Blue House proceeded with the appointment process for candidate Kim Seong-su, it declined to submit the appointment motion for candidate Son Bong-gi to the National Assembly. Instead, the Blue House has requested that Chief Justice Cho re-nominate a different candidate from the original pool to ensure procedural completeness.

Legal experts are debating whether Cho should re-nominate from the existing list of candidates recommended by the previous committee or if he must form a new Supreme Court Justice Candidate Recommendation Committee to restart the process from the beginning. Under the Court Organization Act, a new committee is typically formed for each nomination process. If Cho chooses to reform the committee, it could lead to a direct confrontation with the executive branch and prolong the vacancy of judicial seats.