Chief justice appointment uncertain due to opposition protest

By Kim Hyo-jin

Whether or not Supreme Court chief justice nominee Kim Meong-su will get parliamentary approval is up in the air as the opposition parties are taking issue with his ideological orientation.

If Kim’s confirmation is voted down, in addition to the rejection of Constitutional Court chief designate Kim Yi-su, the Moon Jae-in administration’s drive for judicial reform could further lose steam, pundits said Wednesday.

The two-day confirmation hearings at the National Assembly ended with the opposition parties launching a scathing attack on what they claim was Kim’s left-leaning position.

Kim now awaits the parliamentary vote in a plenary session. His confirmation requires a majority vote of the current 299 Assemblymen, which gives the third-largest People’s Party hold the deciding vote.

Kim Yi-su’s confirmation motion was voted down Monday falling two votes short of winning endorsement.

Amid growing concerns, ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairwoman Choo Mi-ae called on the opposition to back Moon’s choice in the vote.

“I ask fellow lawmakers to make a prudent decision based on public sentiment, not political interests or the intention of boasting of their presence,” Choo said in a party meeting.

“If the National Assembly keeps operating according to mere political strategies, public anger reflected in the candlelit rallies against the presidential corruption scandal will soon head toward the legislature.”

The People’s Party members say the party is likely to leave the decision in the hands of its respective lawmakers without guidance from the leadership, as they did in the previous vote for Kim Yi-su.

Opposition parties raised questions over Kim’s political neutrality, as he led a study group of liberal-minded judges. The nominee defended himself, saying that the group of judges has no specific political orientation.

The conservative opposition fears that Kim’s tilted orientation could bring a leftist swing in the judiciary. The head of the Supreme Court has the authority to appoint three judges of the nine-member Constitutional Court, 13 Supreme Court justices, and three members of the 11-member National Human Rights Commission.

Moon tapped Kim, the incumbent head of the Chuncheon District Court, Aug. 21, to replace Yang Sung-tae whose term ends Sept. 24. The DPK pitched him as a figure to spearhead judicial reform, one of Moon’s key pledges.

Opposition lawmakers criticized Kim for leaving his positions on controversial social issues unclear.

In a report submitted to the Assembly prior to the hearings, he advocated human rights of homosexuals and sexual minorities, saying “they have rights our society should protect.”

But when asked for his opinion during a parliamentary session, he said “I know that there are many discussions and controversies over the issue but I have not thought deeply about it.”