Democratic Party rejects Supreme Court chief justice nominee

Lee Gyun-ryong, the Supreme Court chief justice nominee, takes questions from lawmakers at a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Sept. 20. [NEWS1]

The National Assembly rejected Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee Lee Gyun-ryong on Friday.

This marks the first such rejection in 35 years.

The Democratic Party, which controls the legislature with more than 160 seats out of 300, announced earlier that it rejected Lee in a party-line vote.

With the National Assembly rejecting Lee as chief justice, the presidential office must find a new nominee.

Lee was among the three candidates President Yoon Suk Yeol had shortlisted to serve as the nation's top justice.

The presidential office said it regrets the National Assembly's decision.

According to a legal source, the chief justice seat could remain vacant for up to six months.

This month alone, the National Assembly and the government will be busy with annual parliamentary audits.

Afterward, the DP and the president's People Power Party will be preoccupied with April's general election next year.

The DP's latest move comes as several prominent party figures, including its leader Lee Jae-myung, face multiple trials.

Other figures in legal trouble include former DP leader Song Young-gil, who is yet to be indicted but is implicated in a bribery scandal during the party's convention in 2021, as well as Rep. Yoon Kwan-suk, who is currently detained for allegedly bribing his fellow party members.

This is not the first time the DP used its control in the National Assembly to pressure Yoon's government, having impeached Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, which the Constitutional Court rejected later.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]