Forty-four Democratic Party (DP) lawmakers, including floor leader Park Hong-keun, sponsored a bill in the National Assembly that proposed revising the Court Organization’s Act. The proposed revision calls for a committee recommending Supreme Court chief justice candidates. Political observers widely interpret the move as an attempt to restrict the president’s right to appoint individuals for the position. Current Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su’s term ends in about six months.

Article 104, Section 1 of the ROK Constitution states, “The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall be appointed by the President with the consent of the National Assembly.” Under the proposed revision, the National Assembly will form a new committee recommending candidates from which the president must choose an individual to appoint as Supreme Court chief justice. The committee would comprise 11 members, including the Minister of National Court Administration, the head of the Korean Bar Association and five experts who do not hold a profession in law.