National Assembly confirms chief justice nominee

Politics

Published: 08 Dec. 2023, 15:15 Updated: 08 Dec. 2023, 16:10

National Assembly confirms chief justice nominee

Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee Cho Hee-dae speaks during his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

The National Assembly confirmed the nomination of Cho Hee-dae as chief justice of the Supreme Court on Friday, ending a 70-day vacancy at the helm of the judiciary.

Of the 292 votes counted, 264 lawmakers voted in favor of his appointment, 18 voted against, and 10 were marked invalid.

The previous nominee for the post, Lee Gyun-yong, saw his nomination rejected by the National Assembly in a 175 to 118 vote on Oct. 6.

Lee was the first chief justice nominee to fail to receive parliamentary approval since 1988.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]