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

South Korea’s Supreme Court will face two vacant justice seats when Justice Lee Heung-gu retires on the 7th. The vacancy comes as the appointment of a successor to former Justice Roh Tae-ak, who left in March, remains unresolved after more than six months.

The dispute between the presidential office and the Supreme Court has delayed Roh’s replacement. Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae is expected to state his position this week on the presidential office’s request that Roh’s successor be nominated again.

Cho has nominated Kim Sung-soo, a chief judge at the Seoul High Court, to succeed Lee. The nominee’s appointment-consent motion has been submitted to the National Assembly. A confirmation hearing is scheduled for the 14th, followed by a full committee meeting on the 16th to adopt a review report.

Even if the National Assembly votes on the appointment and the president completes the appointment quickly afterward, the court is expected to have two vacant seats for at least about two weeks. Lee, 63, entered the Supreme Court in September 2020 after being nominated by then-Chief Justice Kim Myeong-soo under the Moon Jae-in administration. He previously served as a judge in Busan, Changwon and Daegu and was associated with the progressive judges’ group Our Law Research Association.