Constitutional Court Appoints Son Inhyuk, Yonsei University Professor, as New Secretary General

Inauguration Ceremony Scheduled for September 1

Son Inhyuk, a professor at Yonsei University Law School (age 58, 28th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), will be appointed as the new Secretary General of the Constitutional Court, a position equivalent to a Cabinet Minister.

Son Inhyuk, the new Secretary General of the Constitutional Court. Provided by the Constitutional Court

The Constitutional Court announced that Chief Justice Kim Sanghwan plans to appoint Professor Son as Secretary General on September 1. The inauguration ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on the same day.

Son, the incoming Secretary General, graduated from the Department of Law at Yonsei University and passed the 38th National Judicial Examination. He began his public service career in 1999 as an Assistant Constitutional Research Officer at the Constitutional Court, later serving as a Constitutional Research Officer, Chief Secretary to the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, and Head of the System Research Team at the Constitutional Court Research Institute. After retiring in March 2016, he has been serving as a professor at Yonsei University.

While at Yonsei University, he also served as Chair of the Constitutional and Constitutional Adjudication System Research Committee of the Constitutional Court, a member of the Informatization Deliberation Committee, and a member of the Research Performance Evaluation Committee at the Constitutional Court Research Institute. He participated in research activities such as improving adjudication procedures for prompt protection of fundamental rights, studies on the development direction of the AACC (Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions), and research on the advancement of the Research Secretariat.

A Constitutional Court official stated, "Son, the new Secretary General, has earned great respect from colleagues since his tenure as a Constitutional Research Officer, thanks to his approachable and energetic personality. Based on his experience and expertise at the Constitutional Court, he is expected to faithfully fulfill his duties as Secretary General."

The Secretary General is a high-ranking official responsible for overseeing the administrative affairs of the Constitutional Court, equivalent to a ministerial position. This is the second time that someone with a background as a Constitutional Research Officer has been appointed to this position, following the current Secretary General, Kim Jungwon.