Whether the plenary session on the 21st will be processed must be discussed between the Speaker of the National Assembly and the floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties.
The National Assembly's Special Committee on Personnel Hearings held a plenary session on the 21st and adopted the progress report on the review of the nomination consent bill for Lee Gyun-yong, the nominee for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The progress report included both opinions of qualification and disqualification.
Lee Gyunyong, nominee for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, is delivering opening remarks at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 19th. Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@
On the same day, the Special Committee on Personnel Hearings held a plenary session and adopted the progress report on the review of the nomination consent bill for nominee Lee. Previously, the committee conducted personnel hearings for the nominee on the 19th and 20th.
The progress report addressed both qualified and unqualified opinions. The qualified opinion in the comprehensive view stated, "The nominee was nominated as Chief Justice not based on his ability or qualifications as a judge but due to his personal acquaintance with the President. The Civil Precedent Research Association, to which the nominee belonged, is criticized as the pinnacle of the promotion cartel and many of its members are large law firm lawyers, serving as a gateway for the judicial cartel." It also pointed out the omission of property declarations regarding unlisted stocks and overseas accounts of the nominee's children, suggesting a potential violation of the Public Officials Ethics Act. Additionally, the report included issues such as reduced sentences in sexual crime cases and differing responses from hearing committee members regarding the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act (the Yellow Envelope Act).
Conversely, the report also contained opinions supporting the nominee's qualification. It stated, "The nominee is a seasoned judge who has handled civil, criminal, patent, and administrative cases across courts nationwide for about 30 years. He maintains the belief that judges must adhere to the rule of law rather than personal relationships with specific individuals, and since he has not been active in the Civil Precedent Research Association for a long time, there is no significant problem in upholding the judiciary's neutrality." Regarding the omission of property declarations, it explained, "At the initial introduction of the property declaration system, unlisted stocks were judged based on face value, so it is difficult to criticize the nominee for not declaring unlisted stocks valued at 1.25 million KRW by face value. In 2020, when the evaluation method changed, the nominee was not working at the court and was unaware of the change, which is a mitigating circumstance." On the reduced sentences for sexual crimes, it added, "It should be considered that this was to adjust sentencing disparities in lower courts and that the decision was made by a collegiate panel, not a single judge."
The submission of the nomination consent bill for nominee Lee to the plenary session will be decided through discussions between National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo and the floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties.
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