Supreme Court Justice Lee Heung-gu to Retire on the 7th, Leaving Two-Justice Vacancy

Supreme Court Justice Lee Heung-gu will retire on the 7th, making a two-seat vacancy on South Korea’s Supreme Court a reality as a dispute over appointments delays the process.

The court will hold Lee’s retirement ceremony at 10 a.m. at its Seocho District headquarters in Seoul. Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae nominated Kim Seong-su, a presiding judge at the Seoul High Court, as Lee’s successor on the 28th of last month. The presidential office submitted Kim’s nomination consent request to the National Assembly on the 31st, but a parliamentary hearing and the president’s appointment remain outstanding. The ruling and opposition parties have agreed to hold the hearing on the 14th.

Lee’s departure will leave only two justices on the court’s Third Panel. The panel previously lost Justice Noh Kyung-pil, who became head of the National Court Administration on July 14 and no longer handles cases. Each panel normally has four justices and needs at least three to hear cases. The Supreme Court is considering moving a justice from another panel to fill the gap.

Even if the panel is filled through an internal reassignment, new cases will temporarily be distributed among 10 justices instead of 12, increasing their workload. A presiding judge in the Seoul metropolitan area said the vacancy could delay timely remedies because each justice already handles a large number of cases.

The appointment of a successor to Noh also remains unresolved. The presidential office asked Chief Justice Cho to resubmit a nominee from the candidates recommended by the existing selection committee, after requesting reconsideration of his nomination of Son Bong-gi, a presiding judge at Daegu District Court. The Supreme Court is also considering rebuilding the committee and restarting the process, which could delay the appointment by another two to three months. The court plans to announce its approach soon.

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A justice vacancy could delay timely remedies because each justice has many cases to handle.