Lee withdraws constitutional court justice nominations

President Lee Jae-myung withdrew the nominations of Lee Wan-kyu and Ham Sang-hoon as Constitutional Court justices on Thursday. The two had been named by former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who served as acting president at the time. The move, coming 58 days after the initial nominations, effectively nullifies the attempt by an acting president to appoint justices just two days after the new administration began.

Kang Yu-jung, spokesperson for the presidential office, said at a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office that Lee had withdrawn the nominations of Lee and Ham, who were appointed without proper authority by former Prime Minister Han. The nominations followed the Constitutional Court’s dismissal of impeachment motions in March. Han, resuming his role as acting president, nominated Lee, then minister of government legislation, and Ham, a senior judge at the Seoul High Court, to replace outgoing justices Moon Hyung-bae and Lee Mi-seon.

On April 16, eight days after the nominations, the Constitutional Court unanimously granted an injunction suspending the appointments. The court ruled that an acting president’s nomination of justices could constitute an abuse of power. Lee Wan-kyu, known for his close ties to former President Yoon Suk Yeol from their time at the Judicial Research and Training Institute, attended President Lee’s first cabinet meeting on Thursday.

President Lee is expected to promptly nominate two new candidates to fill the current vacancies and restore the court to a full bench of nine justices.


Kyu-Jin Shin newjin@donga.com