Former prosecutor nominated as Constitutional Court chief

Park Han-cheol

By Kim Tae-gyu

President Park Geun-hye nominated Constitutional Court justice Park Han-cheol, 60, a former prosecutor, to head the court, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.

Since its establishment in 1988, only career judges have taken stewardship of the court.

The Constitutional Court has been without a chief for about two months following the resignation of Lee Kang-kook on Jan. 21. Justice Song Doo-hwan has been acting president since.

Park also named two more justices ― Seoul High Court chief Cho Yong-ho, 58, and Seoul Central District Court chief Suh Ki-suhk, 60 ― to complete the nine-person court.

“Expertise and capability came first regarding the selection. Park is the right person because he has two years of experience at the Constitutional Court,” presidential spokesman Yoon Chang-jung told a press briefing.

The designation also came after former President Lee Myung-bak’s pick, Lee Dong-heub, withdrew on Feb. 13 because of ethical failings.

Originally from Incheon, Park studied law at Seoul National University and worked as a career prosecutor before moving to the Constitutional Court in 2011. Among a long series of appointments, beginning in 1983 when his career began as a prosecutor at Busan District Public Prosecutor’s Office, Park was Director of the Public Security Department of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) during the first nine months of the Lee administration. This will cause concern among the opposition and some citizens, given that the SPO was seen as biased toward the government at that time.

President Park is drawing criticism because both Prime Minister Chung Hong-won and Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn were also public prosecutors.

Justice nominees Cho, a graduate of Kunkuk University, and Suh, a graduate of Seoul National University, are both life-time judges. The former is from South Chungcheong Province and the latter is from South Gyeongsang Province.

The three are subject to confirmation hearings at the National Assembly.

Meanwhile, President Park also tapped Prof. Han Jung-wha, 59, at Hanyang University to head the Small and Medium Business Administration. Han is a replacement for Hwang Chul-ju, CEO of Jusung Engineering, who withdrew after he was nominated because of a law forcing high-ranking officials to dispose of stocks worth more than 30 million won in companies related to their duties.

Under the regulation, Hwang was obligated to sell most of his 27-percent stake in Jusung, the company he founded, over the next two months.

Claiming he was unaware of the rule, he stepped down this week, prompting criticism that the Park administration is apparently unable to select appropriate nominees for senior positions.

Hwang is the ninth to withdraw among designates to senior positions after Park won the Dec. 19 presidential election.