Cho Hee-dae for Chuseok, Jang Dong-hyuk for Seollal... Lee Administration Engages in 'Public Sparring' Every Holiday

[Financial News] Ahead of this Chuseok holiday, President Lee Jae Myung is facing a conflict over the appointment of Supreme Court justices and Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae. As Chief Justice Cho maintained his stance of refusing a re-recommendation, Cheong Wa Dae issued statements three times in two days to refute his claims. Following the war of words on social media over real estate issues with People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk during the Lunar New Year holiday, a public dispute has once again become the focal point of public sentiment during the holiday season.
According to political circles on the 24th, Cheong Wa Dae, in its first statement on the 22nd, characterized Chief Justice Cho’s refusal to re-recommend the appointment as "an understanding that the Chief Justice’s power of recommendation takes precedence over the President’s power of appointment, which is in violation of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea." It further pointed out that this "neutralizes the power of appointment of the President, who is elected by the people."
The second statement countered that the facts had been distorted as if there were procedural flaws, stating that the official request for re-recommendation on the 28th of last month was issued as an electronic document and that the Prime Minister had also countersigned it.
In its third statement on the 23rd, Cheong Wa Dae emphasized that its announcement that it would not submit the motion for the appointment of nominee Judge Son Bong-gi of the Daegu District Court to the National Assembly clearly indicated an intention to reject the appointment, and that this was the reason for requesting a re-recommendation.
It continued its criticism, saying, "Yesterday, the Chief Justice distorted the official document requesting the re-recommendation of a Supreme Court justice candidate as if it contained a defect concerning the constitutional principles of written documentation and countersignature, but today he backed down, claiming it was merely a general statement." It also pointed out that the claim that the grounds for the re-recommendation were unclear was "misleading."
Cheong Wa Dae argued that the Committee of Recommendation of Supreme Court Justice Candidates’ act of individually contacting candidates who had been lawfully recommended to ask whether they intended to resign was also a "serious procedural flaw." At the same time, it urged Chief Justice Cho to "understand the contents of the official document from the perspective of an ordinary citizen with sound common sense and promptly take follow-up procedures so that the people’s right to a trial is not infringed."
Earlier, on the 22nd, Chief Justice Cho stated that he "cannot respond to the request for re-nomination" in response to Cheong Wa Dae’s demand to re-nominate a successor to former Supreme Court Justice Rho Tae-ak, citing the lack of specific reasons and constitutional grounds.
The Supreme Court of Korea issued an additional statement the following day, explaining that its remark that the President’s acts under national law must be carried out through a countersigned document did not imply that there was a formal defect in the official letter dated the 28th of last month. However, it maintained its refusal, stating that it was difficult to accept the claim that the reasons for the request for re-recommendation were not clearly stated in the official letter and that there were procedural flaws in the recommendation process.
According to the Constitution, Supreme Court justices are appointed by the President following the recommendation of the Chief Justice and the consent of the National Assembly, but it does not specify the subsequent procedures when the President rejects a recommended candidate.
The selection of a successor has stalled as Cheong Wa Dae did not submit the motion for the appointment of nominee Son to the National Assembly, and Chief Justice Cho also rejected the request for a re-recommendation. Although the vacancy has remained for more than six months since former Supreme Court Justice Rho retired last March, Cheong Wa Dae stated that it was not even considering a jurisdictional dispute adjudication.

During the Lunar New Year holiday, President Lee Jae Myung engaged in a public war of words on social media with Representative Jang Dong-hyuk over regulations on multiple-home owners. From February 13, when the holiday began, to the 18th, President Lee Jae Myung posted related messages seven times, while Representative Jang Dong-hyuk posted four times.
President Lee Jae Myung stated, "This is intended to recover the unfair privileges granted to real estate investment and speculation and impose corresponding burdens." In response, Representative Jang Dong-hyuk criticized defining multiple-home owners as a social evil and devoting oneself to incitement on social media as "low-level politics."
The difference is that during the Lunar New Year, President Lee Jae Myung personally engaged in a public dispute on social media, whereas this time Cheong Wa Dae is issuing a series of official statements during the President’s overseas trip. If the main issue during the Lunar New Year was real estate policy, the conflict surrounding the President’s power of appointment and the Chief Justice’s power of recommendation has come to the forefront this Chuseok.
However, real estate, which heated up the debate during the Lunar New Year holiday, remains a major livelihood issue this Chuseok. According to the Korea Real Estate Board (KREB), apartment sale prices in Seoul rose 0.16% in the second week of September from the previous week, marking the 84th consecutive week of increases. If prices rise for one more week, the figure will match the all-time record of 85 consecutive weeks of increases set during the Moon Jae-in administration.
Personnel controversies are also continuing ahead of Chuseok. With the resignation of former Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won, the number of ministerial-level nominees who have withdrawn or been rejected since the current administration took office has risen to five. Kang Hoon-sik, Chief of Staff to the President and chairman of the Personnel Committee, has also tendered his resignation. If Chief of Staff Kang steps down, two of the three chiefs of staff at Cheong Wa Dae will be vacant, along with the already vacant position of Chief of Policy.
[email protected] Seong Seok-woo Reporter