South Korea narrows Supreme Court justice candidates to four amid delayed appointments

South Korea's Supreme Court candidate recommendation committee met on September 4 and reduced the pool of 28 candidates for Justice Lee Heung‑gu’s successor to four current judges: Kim Moon‑kwan, chief judge of the Busan District Court; Kim Sung‑soo, deputy chief judge of the Seoul High Court; Kim Ye‑young, deputy chief judge of the Seoul Southern District Court; and Kim Jung‑joong, deputy chief judge of the Gwangju District Court. Chief Justice Cho Hee‑dae will disclose the candidates’ major rulings and seek opinions from the court and the public until September 7, after which he is expected to recommend one nominee to the president for appointment.

The replacement of former Justice No Tae‑ak, who retired in March, has been delayed, raising the possibility that two Supreme Court justices could be nominated simultaneously—a rare occurrence that could exacerbate concerns about case backlogs, especially after another justice, Noh Kyung‑pil, moved to the court administration office.