President Lee nominates new chief of Constitutional Court

President Lee Jae Myung delivers a budget speech at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday nominated a former Supreme Court justice as the new chief of the Constitutional Court, the presidential office said.

Former Supreme Court Justice Kim Sang-hwan was picked to replace acting Constitutional Court President Kim Hyung-du, the longest serving of the current justices of the Constitutional Court.

Lee also tapped Oh Young-joon, the presiding judge of the Seoul High Court, to join the court's nine-member bench, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik told reporters.

In addition, Lee nominated Lim Kwang-hyun, a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, as commissioner of the National Tax Service.

All such nominees must undergo parliamentary confirmation hearings before they can be formally appointed by the president, but they do not need parliamentary approval to take their posts.