Supreme Court justice nominee Kim Seong-su said at his confirmation hearing that if allegations are true in Minister of Justice nominee Kim Seung-won's "new drug request" case involving a warrant judge, "severe disciplinary action could be taken."
On the 14th, at the National Assembly confirmation hearing, nominee Kim Seong-su answered this way when People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo referenced controversy over Director General Judge Jeong In-jae's 2023 decision to deny an arrest warrant for the founder of Genencell and asked, "If you had been the ethics inspector, what action would you have taken?"
In 2022, Director General Judge Jeong took a photo with Yang, known as a broker in the new drug request allegations, and nominee Kim Seung-won; the following year, while serving as a warrant-only judge at the Seoul Western District Court, Jeong denied an arrest warrant for Kang, the Genencell founder at the center of the allegations, sparking controversy. It later became known that Director General Judge Jeong's son worked for three months as a legislative aide in Rep. Kim Seung-won's office.
Answering Joo's question, nominee Kim Seong-su said, "The facts need to be verified. However, if what you said is true, I think severe disciplinary action could be taken."
He added, "In courts you often see the Chinese phrase 'mushinbulip (無信不立·if there is no trust, nothing can stand),' which ultimately means that without trust, the judiciary cannot exist," and said, "All judges should be careful and keep this in mind."
Nominee Kim Seong-su said the ruling bloc's pressure for the chief justice to resign is not desirable. Asked by People Power Party lawmaker Yun Yong-geun, "Do you think it is desirable for the political sphere to pressure the chief justice to resign over the exercise of constitutional authority?" Kim answered, "It falls within the realm of judicial administration, so such criticism may be possible under checks and balances, but as a member of the judiciary, I find it hard to consider it desirable."