15 High Court Justice Hopefuls Named

The Supreme Court Justice Recommendation Advisory Committee (Chairman Song Sang-hyun, Chairman of Korea Law Professors Association) held a Supreme Court Justice candidate election meeting, and recommended 15 nominees to Lee Yong-hun, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, at the Supreme Court Office in Seocho-dong Seoul on June 5.

The Advisory Committee nominated 10 judges: Kim Neung-hwan (17th bar exam) the head of Ulsan District Court; Kim Jong-dae (17th bar exam), the head of Changwon District Court; Mok Young-jun (19th bar exam), the deputy chief of the Office of Court Administration; Min Hyeong-gi (16th bar exam), the head of Incheon District Court; Park Il-hwan (15th bar exam); the head of West Seoul District Court; Shin Young-chul (18th bar exam), the chief of criminal division of Central Seoul District Court; Lee Woo-geun (14th bar exam), head of Seoul Administration Court; Lee Hong-hun (14th bar exam), head of Central Seoul District Court; Chun Su-ahn (18th bar exam), head of Gwangju District Administration Court; and Cha Han-seong (17th bar exam), head of Cheongju District Administration Court (in Korean alphabetical order).

Former prosecutors include Ahn Dae-hee (17th bar exam), head of Seoul High Public Prosecutors Office, and Kim Hee-ok (18th bar exam), the vice-minister of the Ministry of Justice. Academic figures who were nominated include Yang Chang-su (16th bar exam), a professor at Seoul National University`s College of Law; Chae I-shik (11th bar exam), a professor at Korea University`s College of Law; and lawyer Han Sang-ho (16th bar exam), the only nominee who is out of office. Lee, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, will decide on five nominees out of the candidates that the Advisory Committee recommended and will recommend appointments to President Roh Moo-hyun by June 9.

The National Assembly`s hearing will open at the end of June or beginning of July, and if the hearing finishes according to plan, there will be a vote to decide on appointment consent at the Assembly plenary session slated for July 7. The term for Supreme Court Justices Kang Shin-uk, Lee Gyu-hong, Lee Kang-guk, Sohn Ji-yeol and Park Jae-yun will end on July 10, and the new Supreme Court Justices will take office around July 11.

Ji-Seong Jeon verso@donga.com