Request for Parliamentary Consent for Appointment of Constitutional Court President
First Nominee for Six-Year Term in 12 Years
Former Supreme Court Justice Who Completed Term in December
President Lee Jaemyung has requested a confirmation hearing and parliamentary consent for the appointment of Kim Sanghwan as President of the Constitutional Court.
According to the National Assembly's legislative information system on July 5, President Lee submitted the "Request for Consent to the Appointment of Kim Sanghwan as President of the Constitutional Court, who will also serve as a Constitutional Court Justice" to the National Assembly the previous day.
According to the Constitution, the President of the Constitutional Court is appointed by the President from among the justices, with the consent of the National Assembly, and serves for the remainder of the six-year term as a justice.
However, since Kim is not currently serving as a justice, the request for consent to appoint him as both a Constitutional Court Justice and President of the Constitutional Court has been submitted.
Kim Sanghwan, Justice of the Supreme Court, is expressing his thoughts at the retirement ceremony held at the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on December 27 last year. Photo by Yonhap News
This type of appointment request has been submitted to the National Assembly for the first time in 12 years, since President Lee Myungbak requested parliamentary consent for Lee Dongheub in 2013. However, Lee Dongheub did not assume the role of President of the Constitutional Court, as his nomination was withdrawn during the confirmation hearing process.
Kim Sanghwan is a former Supreme Court Justice who completed his term in December last year. If appointed, he would become the first former Supreme Court Justice to serve as President of the Constitutional Court in 12 years, following Lee Kangkuk, who served from January 2007 to January 2013.
In addition, Kim would be the first President of the Constitutional Court in 12 years to serve a full six-year term since Lee Kangkuk.
President Lee stated the reasons for requesting the confirmation hearing for Kim, saying, "He possesses a strong belief in upholding constitutional values, a commitment to protecting the fundamental rights of the people, and a deep sense of compassion for the socially disadvantaged," adding, "He is firmly convinced that the value of fundamental rights should not be underestimated simply because the voices of minorities are weak."
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