"Supreme Court Justice Expansion Bill
to Be Pursued in the Near Future"
Seo Youngkyo, a lawmaker running for the next floor leader of the Democratic Party, commented on speculation that attorney Oh Gwangsu may be appointed as Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs, saying, "The President will make a decision after reviewing everything, including his competence and loyalty to the people."
Representative Seo Youngkyo Declares Candidacy for Democratic Party Floor Leader. Photo by Yonhap News
On June 7, through her Facebook page, Seo stated, "Personnel appointments are the authority of the President." She added, "The criteria for appointments are loyalty and competence, and loyalty means loyalty to the people."
Appearing on MBC Radio on June 6, Seo addressed the rumors about Oh being nominated as Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs, saying, "I have rarely seen cases where someone rumored for a position actually gets appointed." She continued, "He was with Yoon Sukyeol, he served as a prosecutor specializing in special investigations alongside him?these, in my view, are not positive factors." Seo further added, "President Lee Jaemyung appoints good people even if they are not his closest aides."
Attorney Oh, who is a classmate of President Lee Jaemyung from the Judicial Research and Training Institute and a former special investigation prosecutor, was rumored to be nominated as Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs, but was not included in the presidential office's personnel announcement the previous day. Seo predicted that forming the new government cabinet would "take about two or three weeks if done quickly."
Regarding the proposed amendment to the Court Organization Act to increase the number of Supreme Court justices to 30, Seo commented, "There are ongoing discussions about fully publicizing and debating the issue. It will be pursued in the near future."
On the three major special prosecutor acts (the Special Act on Insurrection, the Special Act on First Lady Kim Keonhee, and the Special Act on Chae Haebyung), which passed the National Assembly as the 'first bill' since the launch of the Lee Jaemyung administration, Seo said, "The special prosecutors could be appointed as early as next week." She added, "The results of the special investigations will be visible in about two to three months," and insisted, "Since the government was launched, everything should be concluded within a short period, within six months."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
