{"id":2202346,"date":"2023-09-26T08:00:49","date_gmt":"2023-09-25T23:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2202346"},"modified":"2023-09-25T16:32:43","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T07:32:43","slug":"south-koreas-supreme-court-vacancy-political-tug-of-war-impacts-judiciary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/09\/south-koreas-supreme-court-vacancy-political-tug-of-war-impacts-judiciary\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea\u2019s Supreme Court vacancy: Political tug-of-war impacts judiciary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the first time in 30 years, South Korea\u2019s Supreme Court is grappling with an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.yna.co.kr\/view\/AEN20230925004500315?section=news\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">interim leadership arrangement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> following the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yna.co.kr\/view\/MYH20230922011000641\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">retirement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su. The legislative confirmation for Chief Justice nominee Lee Gyun-ryong, put forward by President Yoon Suk-yeol on Aug. 22, hangs in the balance. The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has raised concerns over Lee\u2019s past rulings and personal controversies, causing a delay in his confirmation. Ahn Chul-sang, the senior-most among the 13 Supreme Court justices, stepped in as acting chief justice this Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amidst this backdrop, some in the judicial circle voice concern over the Supreme Court\u2019s ability to conduct its en banc hearings and rulings \u2014 central functions of the top court \u2014 under acting leadership. Worries abound that prolonged leadership ambiguity might sow confusion in the judiciary. Meanwhile, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yna.co.kr\/view\/AKR20230925071800001?section=politics\/all\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">criticized<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the delay, asserting that the ramifications of the vacancy will fall on the citizens.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why It Matters<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">South Korea\u2019s Supreme Court, operating one justice short, stands as a symbol of a political tug-of-war that threatens to affect the balance of the nation\u2019s judiciary. In many democratic systems, the top court functions as a final arbitrator, not just for individual cases but for defining the nation\u2019s constitutional and legal boundaries. For South Korea, a vacancy in this institution can hinder <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/eng.scourt.go.kr\/eng\/supreme\/about\/function.jsp\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the court\u2019s ability<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to make pivotal decisions, potentially leading to split rulings or delays on pressing issues. The National Assembly\u2019s delay in confirming President Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s nominee, Lee Gyun-ryong, underscores the court&#8217;s critical role in shaping South Korea&#8217;s political landscape.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yoon\u2019s choice of Lee Gyun-ryong has raised eyebrows, especially among members of the Democratic Party. Lee\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hani.co.kr\/arti\/politics\/assembly\/1109465.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">perceived conservative leanings<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> suggest he might be a driving force in pulling the judiciary to the right, which would mark a departure from the more <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.koreaherald.com\/view.php?ud=20190507000668\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">progressive tilt<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> seen in recent years. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.khan.co.kr\/national\/court-law\/article\/202309191524001#c2b\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">close personal relationship<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> between Yoon and Lee has also stoked fears of eroding checks and balances between the executive and judiciary branches. Whether founded or unfounded, such concerns amplify the debate on Lee\u2019s nomination.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-tags\"><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/tag\/culture-society\/\"><span class=\"tag\">Culture &amp; Society<\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/tag\/domestic-politics\/\"><span class=\"tag\">Domestic Politics<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the first time in 30 years, South Korea\u2019s Supreme Court is grappling with an interim leadership arrangement following the retirement of Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su. The legislative confirmation for Chief Justice nominee Lee Gyun-ryong, put forward by President Yoon Suk-yeol on Aug. 22, hangs in the balance. The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10407,"featured_media":2202347,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[25,27],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>South Korea\u2019s Supreme Court vacancy: Political tug-of-war impacts judiciary - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/09\/south-koreas-supreme-court-vacancy-political-tug-of-war-impacts-judiciary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South Korea\u2019s Supreme Court vacancy: Political tug-of-war impacts judiciary - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For the first time in 30 years, South Korea\u2019s Supreme Court is grappling with an interim leadership arrangement following the retirement of Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su. 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