Ahn urges halt to Supreme Court nominations until president pledges noninterference

People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo called on Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae to halt Supreme Court justice nominations. Ahn said no justice should be nominated until President Lee Jae-myung declares that he will not intervene in the nomination process.

In a social media post on the 23rd, Ahn said the formation of the Supreme Court Justice Candidate Recommendation Committee and all candidate recommendation procedures should also stop. He argued that the halt he was seeking would protect the separation of powers and South Korea's democracy.

Chief Justice Cho said the previous day that he would not comply with the presidential office's request to submit a new Supreme Court nominee. He said he could find no specific constitutional basis or grounds to justify the request. The presidential office countered that his position undermined the president's appointment authority and reflected a view contrary to the Constitution.