Cho Hee-dae
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Honorable Jo Hee-de | |
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조희대 | |
 Jo Heede in his inauguration day, 2023 | |
| 17th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Korea | |
| Assumed office 8 December 2023 | |
| Appointed by | Yoon Suk Yeol |
| Preceded by | Kim Myeong-su |
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Korea | |
| In office 4 March 2014 – 3 March 2020 | |
| Nominated by | Yang Sung-tae |
| Appointed by | Park Geun-hye |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 June 1957 Gyeongju, South Korea |
| Education | Seoul National University School of Law (LL.B.) Cornell Law School (LL.M.) |
| Occupation | Judge, Jurist |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Republic of Korea |
| Branch/service | Republic of Korea Army |
| Years of service | 1983–1986 |
| Rank | First lieutenant (Judge advocate) |
Jo Hee-de (Korean: 조희대; Hanja: 曺喜大; RR: Cho Hee-dae born 6 June 1957) is the 17th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Korea, appointed by President Yoon Suk Yeol in December 2023.
Life and Career
Jo was born on 6 June 1957 in Gyeongju, South Korea. He graduated Kyeongbuk High School and Seoul National University School of Law, and started his legal career as trial court judge in 1986. After almost thirty years of serving in South Korean ordinary courts as judge, he got promoted to associate justice of the Supreme Court of Korea, by nomination of 15th Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae and appointment from President Park Geun-hye in 2014.[1] During his term as associate justice, he was well known for his conservative views, such as making dissenting opinions over case on whether to punish conscientious objector, supporting those objectors should be punished under conscription law of that time.[2] After 6 years of term as associate justice in South Korean Supreme Court, Jo turned his eye to academia and began academic career as endowed chair professor at Sungkyunkwan University Law School from 2020.[3]
Around the retirement of 16th Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su in September 2023, Jo was not President Yoon Suk Yeol's primary choice for next chief justice candidate. However, in October, when President Yoon's close friend judge Lee Gyun-ryong failed to acquire consent from the National Assembly due to problems around family assets, the President had to look for candidates that can also satisfy Democratic Party of Korea which was 1st opposition party in the National Assembly. Known as a conservative judge, Jo had a unique position because he did not serve as a private attorney after retiring from Supreme Court associate justice, which made him free from problems of Jeon-gwan ye-u, a somewhat common problem in South Korean judiciary that retired high level government lawyers using their former public career and network to pursuing own secular interests. The non-secular career of Jo as law professor after Supreme Court associate justice, led President Yoon to nominate him as candidate for 17th Chief Justice in November 2023.[4]
On 8 December 2023, as Jo had no problems of personal issues including Jeon-gwan ye-u, his nomination was approved by a 264-18 vote in the National Assembly at Following parliamentary confirmation, and President Yoon appointed Jo as 17th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Korea.[5]
See also
References and Notes
- ^ "New justice". The Korea Times. Seoul. 2014-03-04. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
- ^ Yeo, Hyeon-ho (2018-11-02). "Supreme Court rules that conscientious objection to military service is not a crime". Hankyoreh. Seoul. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
- ^ "Fmr. Supreme Court Justice Jo Hee-de Nominated for Chief Justice". KBS World. Seoul. 2023-11-08. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
- ^ Kim, Sarah (2023-11-08). "Conservative judge Jo Hee-de nominated as new Supreme Court chief justice". Korea Joongang Daily. Seoul. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
- ^ Park, Boram (2023-12-08). "Yoon appoints new Supreme Court chief justice". Yonhap News. Seoul. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
External links
- Information of Jo Hee-de as former associate justice in the Supreme Court of Korea
- Faculty Information of Jo, Heede as Distinguished Chair Professor in Sungkyunkwan University School of Law (Archived)
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