Seoul, June 26 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday nominated a former Supreme Court justice as the new chief of the Constitutional Court, the presidential office said.
Former Supreme Court Justice Kim Sang-hwan was picked to replace then acting court chief Moon Hyung-bae, who retired in April.
Lee also tapped Oh Young-joon, the presiding judge of the Seoul High Court, to join the court’s nine-member bench, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik told reporters.
“The nominations mark the new government’s first step toward restoring the Constitutional Court,” Kang said.
“They aim to end the attempts that had reached a dangerous level to undermine the court, and to further enhance public trust and the independence of its rulings.”
The top court was in the spotlight as it upheld the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol in April over his failed martial law bid in December, with some judges facing threats from Yoon’s supporters ahead of the ruling.
In addition, Lee nominated Lim Kwang-hyun, a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party, as commissioner of the National Tax Service.
Lim formerly served as Commissioner of the Seoul Regional Tax Service and was elected to the National Assembly last year through a proportional representation seat slot. If appointed, Lim would become the first sitting lawmaker to lead the National Tax Service, Yonhap news agency reported.
All such nominees must undergo parliamentary confirmation hearings before they can be formally appointed by the President, but they do not need parliamentary approval to take their posts.
Earlier on June 23, Lee Jae Myung named five-term lawmaker Ahn Gyu-back as Defence Minister, the first time in 64 years that a civilian has been nominated for the post.
Lee’s pick of Ahn is seen as carrying out his election pledge to reform the military, a key promise from his presidential campaign to rebuild a nation fractured by the brief imposition of martial law in December last year under his predecessor, the ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The military has come under scrutiny since Yoon deployed troops to the National Assembly when he declared martial law on December 3, allegedly to block lawmakers attempting to stop his brief imposition of martial law decree. Yoon was removed from office in April over the martial law debacle.
Ahn is a veteran politician with the Democratic Party who has mostly served on the defence subcommittee of the National Assembly. If confirmed, he will be the first civilian Defence Minister since 1961, when former President Park Chung-hee seized power through a military coup.
“As the first civilian Defence Minister in 64 years, Ahn is expected to lead and oversee the transformation of the military that was mobilised during the martial law period,” Kang said in a press briefing.
Lee also tapped former Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun as South Korea’s top diplomat, as he announced his picks for 11 Cabinet positions, including ministers for the environment, science and labour, in the latest nominations since he assumed office June 4.
–IANS
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