Kim Sang-hwan (20th Judicial Research and Training Institute) was inaugurated as the new Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court on the 24th. His term is six years. The vacancy of the Constitutional Court Chief Justice, which had been unfilled for nine months since the resignation of former Chief Justice Lee Jong-seok last October, has now been resolved. Oh Young-jun (23rd) also took office as a Constitutional Judge, marking the Constitutional Court's transition to a full panel of nine judges.

Kim Sang-hwan, the Constitutional Court Chief Justice, delivers his inaugural address at the inauguration ceremony held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 24th. /Courtesy of News1

In his inauguration speech, Chief Justice Kim said, "We must be free from undue external influence, not only in reality but also in appearance, and show unwavering independence." He also noted, "We must not place ourselves in a position that raises doubts about our independence or fairness, as this would lead to a loss of public trust."

Chief Justice Kim stated, "To fortify public trust in the Constitutional Court, we must achieve the essential task of establishing 'a judgment that is trusted and accepted, and a judgment that shares the meaning of the Constitution with the public.'" He added, "We must keep in mind that the independence of judgment is a prerequisite for exercising the constitutional adjudication authority granted by the people, and we should view cases with a balanced perspective, free from any preconceived notions."

Born in Daejeon, Chief Justice Kim graduated from Bomun High School in Daejeon and Seoul National University Law School. He passed the 30th National Judicial Examination in 1988 and completed the Judicial Research and Training Institute as a member of the 20th class. He was appointed as a judge at the Busan District Court in 1994 and has served as a judge at the Uijeongbu Branch of the Seoul District Court, a judge at the Western Branch of the Seoul District Court, a researcher at the Supreme Court, the head judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, a presiding judge at the Seoul High Court, and the chief judge of civil affairs at the Seoul Central District Court. During the Moon Jae-in administration, he served as a Supreme Court Justice and Director General of the Court Administration. He has been dispatched to the Constitutional Court twice, once in 2002 and again in 2008 when he was a presiding judge, serving as a constitutional researcher and senior researcher.

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