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Cerrada
Court administration chief says unclear what Blue House wants in justice row
En breve
Noh Kyung-pil, a Supreme Court justice and director of the Court Administration Office, told a National Assembly audit on Oct 6 that he cannot know exactly what the presidential office intends over its re-request concerning the recommendation of Supreme Court justices. Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae told the same audit that the presidential office’s document did not clearly state specific reasons or constitutional grounds, and that National Assembly involvement in the chief justice’s recommendation would be unconstitutional. Noh also answered questions about cash encouragement payments to Supreme Court justices.
Por qué importa
The audit put on record an open disagreement between the judiciary and the presidential office over how Supreme Court justices are recommended and appointed, with the chief justice calling legislative involvement unconstitutional. The dispute is being aired at the National Assembly’s annual audit of the Supreme Court, giving it a formal political venue. The documents give no indication of how or when the standoff will be resolved.
Datos clave
- Noh Kyung-pil, a Supreme Court justice and director of the Court Administration Office, answered questions at the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee’s audit of the Supreme Court on Oct 6. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Noh said that in the current situation he cannot know exactly what the presidential office intends in relation to its re-request concerning the recommendation of Supreme Court justices. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae told the audit that the presidential office’s re-request document did not clearly state specific reasons or constitutional grounds, and that he judged follow-up procedures would be difficult. [ 2 ]
- Cho said the National Assembly and the president cannot be involved in the chief justice’s recommendation, and that legislative interference would be unconstitutional and contrary to the constitutional distribution of powers and judicial independence. [ 2 ]
- Noh said he did not think the president has such authority and did not think there is an obligation to explain it. [ 2 ]
- Asked whether he had previewed the document Cho read from, Noh said he had not known about it and was seeing it for the first time. [ 2 ]
- On the encouragement-money issue, Noh said the payments were compensation for the heavy workload of judges handling criminal cases, saw no link to bureaucratization, and said he humbly accepted the audit office’s criticism that regular, uniform payments were wrong; the Court Administration Office has paid Supreme Court justices an average of 2 million won a month in cash, according to Yonhap. [ 2 ]
- Asia Economy carried a photo item with a caption of Noh answering questions, with no substantive article text on the audit. [ 1 ]
Confirmado por varias fuentes
- Noh Kyung-pil, a Supreme Court justice and director of the Court Administration Office, answered questions at the National Assembly audit on Oct 6 about the re-request concerning the recommendation of Supreme Court justices. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Noh said he cannot know exactly what the presidential office intends in the current situation. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae said the presidential office’s re-request document did not clearly state specific reasons and constitutional grounds. [ 2 ]
- Cho said National Assembly involvement in the chief justice’s recommendation would be unconstitutional and contrary to the constitutional distribution of powers and judicial independence. [ 2 ]
- Noh said he does not think the president has the authority in question or an obligation to explain it. [ 2 ]
Aún sin aclarar
- What the presidential office’s re-request specifically sought and on what grounds it was made. The documents state the request document did not clearly set out reasons or constitutional grounds, and Noh said the Blue House’s intent cannot be known exactly at present.
- Which or how many people the re-request concerns. Only Son Bong-ki, described as a presiding judge at the Daegu District Court, is named, with a reference to “the other three people” who are not identified.
- Whether the president holds the authority Noh and Cho discussed. This is Noh’s stated view during the audit, not a judicial ruling, and the documents record no decision on the point.
Qué dicen los medios locales
Medios económicosAsia Economy, a business outlet, carried only a photo item captioned with Noh Kyung-pil answering questions, with no substantive article text on the audit. Chosun Ilbo reported Noh’s statement that he cannot know exactly what the presidential office intends on the re-request issue.
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Fuentes oficialesYonhap, an official-tier outlet, reported the Supreme Court audit in detail, quoting Noh and Chief Justice Cho at length on the presidential office’s re-request and the judicial-independence argument, and covering the encouragement-money question.
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Cronología, hora local
- Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae appears at the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee’s audit of the Supreme Court and says in his greeting that the presidential office’s re-request document lacked specific reasons and constitutional grounds. [ 2 ]
- Asia Economy publishes a photo item of Noh Kyung-pil answering questions. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap publishes its report on the audit, including Noh’s answers on the presidential office’s intent, the chief justice’s prepared statement and the encouragement-money question. [ 2 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reports Noh’s statement that the presidential office’s intent cannot be known exactly at present. [ 3 ]