Blue House Directly Refutes Supreme Court’s Claim of “Written Nomination Consultation”: “There Was No Discussion at All”

Sung Kihong: "Claims of presidential meeting refusal not true"
"Unilateral notification without consultation... Unprecedented since 1987 constitutional amendment"
On holding off Son Bonggi's appointment or requesting resubmission: "Carefully reviewi

The Blue House has directly refuted the Supreme Court’s explanation regarding the procedure for recommending new Supreme Court Justices by Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae. While the Supreme Court claimed it proceeded with the written recommendation process after consultation with the Blue House, the Blue House stated that there was no such consultation regarding the method of recommendation, nor had they ever refused a meeting between the President and the Chief Justice.

A phoenix flag is flying at the Blue House in Seoul on the 29th, as President Lee Jae-myung arrives at the Blue House, officially marking the start of the Blue House era again after 3 years and 7 months. 2025.12.29 Photo by Jo Yongjun

Seong Gihong, Senior Presidential Secretary for Public Communication at the Blue House, appeared on OhmyTV's "Hotspot with Park Jungho" on the 21st and remarked about Chief Justice Cho’s recommendation process, saying, "This is a pattern that deviates from established practices and traditions." He continued, "We view it very seriously as a unilateral notification process that skipped consultation and did not respect the President's appointment authority."

Seong especially countered the explanation given by No Kyung-pil, Director of the National Court Administration, before the National Assembly regarding the circumstances of the recommendation, stating, "Neither of those things are true." Earlier, No explained that there had been no opportunity for President Lee Jae-myung and Chief Justice Cho to reach an agreement on the candidates, and so, following consultation with the Blue House’s Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, they opted for a written recommendation process.

In response, Seong said, "Although there was discussion about general matters regarding the recommendation of Supreme Court Justices, there was absolutely no consultation on the specifics, such as the use of a written format."

The Blue House also denied claims that it effectively refused a meeting between the President and Chief Justice Cho. Seong said, "The Supreme Court asked if a meeting would be possible if agreement could be reached through consultation, to which we gave a general response: 'Let's discuss it when agreement is reached.' If that is being interpreted as a refusal to meet, it is not true."

The Blue House considers the recent recommendation process as more than just a procedural discord. Seong noted, "Since the 1987 constitutional amendment, many Supreme Court Justices have been recommended and appointed, but there has never been a case handled like this," adding, "We regard this as an unprecedented situation in constitutional history."

Accordingly, it is believed that the Blue House may not immediately proceed with the appointment of Sohn Bonggi, Chief Judge at the Daegu District Court, and others, and may instead request a resubmission from the Chief Justice. However, Seong said that no decision had been made yet on whether to formally request a resubmission. He commented, "This recommendation process itself is unprecedented and extremely significant," adding, "We are thoroughly reviewing precedents, customs, and legal aspects since 1987, and are carefully considering how to proceed."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.