National Assembly approves Supreme Court chief justice nominee
Lawmakers approve nominee for the Supreme Court chief justice at the National Assembly in Seoul, Dec. 8. Yonhap
The National Assembly on Friday approved the nomination of Cho Hee-dae as the new Supreme Court chief justice, filling a leadership vacuum in the country's top court, which lasted for more than two months.
The motion to approve Cho's nomination passed the Assembly in a 264-18 vote with ten abstentions.
Cho was widely expected to smoothly pass the vote, as a parliamentary confirmation hearing report concluded the nominee was fit for the job, given Cho had barely any irregularities and shared a clear vision on judiciary reform.
The country's top court had suffered a leadership vacuum for the past 74 days, since the former chief justice, Kim Meong-su, finished his tenure on Sept. 24, and the opposition-controlled Assembly rejected the appointment of President Yoon Suk Yeol's first nominee, Lee Gyun-ryong. (Yonhap)