Judicial Candidate Answers Critics

Jeon Hyo-suk, candidate for the head of the Constitutional Court, expressed on September 6 at a hearing held at the National Assembly that, “On August 16, Jeon Hae-chul, the senior presidential secretary on civil affairs, informed me of the candidacy by phone, and said that (regarding the position) my resignation of (my position as the constitutional court justice) would be needed.”

Having been appointed as court justice of the Constitutional Court on August 2003, Jeon had three years left for her position at that time. But after the nomination for head of the Constitutional Court, she retired from the court justice position, and after the approval of the National Assembly she will work for another six years in the court, leading to attacks that the move was devious.

But Jeon said, “I did not resign with the order of Cheong Wa Dae, but merely responded to the intention as transmitted through the governmental system.”

Assemblymen Kim Jung-hoon and Ju Ho-young of the Grand National Party stated that Jeon is suspected of giving a large sum of money to her underage children but failed to pay the relevant donation tax.

Jeon responded, “In 2001, I deposited 35 million won each in the accounts of my two children, but in 2002, I transferred it back to my account, and I had no intention then to give it to my children.” Under the current law, a donation tax is applied when over 30 million won is transferred to children 20 and over.

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