Yoon Appoints Jeong Hyeong-sik, Chief Judge of Daejeon High Court, as New Constitutional Court Justice Nominee

Presidential Office: "Candidate Jeong Demonstrates Profound Legal Knowledge and Fair Trial"

President Yoon Suk-yeol nominated Jeong Hyeong-sik, Chief Judge of the Daejeon High Court (17th Judicial Research and Training Institute class), as a candidate for the new Constitutional Court Justice on the 16th.

Kim Dae-gi, Chief of Staff to the President, announced at a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the afternoon that "President Yoon nominated candidate Jeong as the successor to former Constitutional Court Chief Justice Yoo Nam-seok." President Yoon is currently in San Francisco, USA, attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.

Candidate Jeong was born in Seoul in 1961, graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in law, passed the 27th Judicial Examination, and became a judge.

Chief of Staff Kim introduced him as "a judge who has served for 35 years since his appointment as a judge at the Suwon District Court Seongnam Branch in 1988, including positions as presiding judge at the Seoul High Court and Suwon High Court, known for his profound legal knowledge and fair trial proceedings."

He added, "Having served as Chief Judge of the Daejeon High Court and Chief Judge of the Seoul Rehabilitation Court, he has faithfully adhered to principles in court administration. Candidate Jeong possesses the qualities and virtues required of a Constitutional Court Justice and is widely respected in the legal community, making him the most suitable candidate to perform the Constitutional Court’s core duties as a justice."

When criticism arose regarding candidate Jeong overturning the original sentence of five years imprisonment to two years and six months imprisonment with a four-year probation in the second trial of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong’s bribery charges related to the National Pension Service scandal, a senior official from the Presidential Office responded, "We have carefully reviewed candidate Jeong’s reputation and record. In fact, President Yoon intended to announce the nomination before his departure for the overseas trip yesterday, but decided to announce it today after a more detailed review."

He continued, "From what we have heard, he is a person who faithfully adheres to law and principles and is not someone who wavers based on personal inclinations. There will be opportunities to discuss various aspects during the confirmation hearing process before the National Assembly and the public," he added.