President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday nominated former Supreme Court Justice Kim Sang-hwan as chief justice of the Constitutional Court, and Oh Young-joon, a senior judge at the Seoul High Court, as a justice on the nine-member bench.
Both will serve a six-year term, once they undergo parliamentary hearings and have their appointments finalized.
Of the nine justices, the president appoints three. Justice Cheong Hyung-sik, appointed by Yoon Suk Yeol in December 2023, will finish his term in December 2029 — allowing Lee to name his successor before leaving office in June 2030.
Lee's Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik also said Rep. Lim Kwang-hyun of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea was named commissioner of the National Tax Service. Before entering politics, the first-term lawmaker formerly led the Seoul Regional Tax Office.
Although the NTS commissioner is a vice-ministerial post, Lim must go through a parliamentary confirmation hearing before getting final approval.
Later on Thursday, Lee's spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Lee appointed five more vice ministers.
Lee Doo-hee, a three-star Army general and commander of the Army Strategic Missile Command, was picked as the vice defense minister. Lee Seu-ran, a career civil servant with expertise in national pension and welfare policies, was selected as the first vice health minister.
Kum Han-seung, chief of the National Institute of Environmental Research, has been tapped as the vice minister of environment. Career civil servant Kwon Chang-jun was also appointed as the vice minister of employment and labor. Nam Dong-il was selected as the vice chair of the Fair Trade Commission.
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