President Moon Jae-in on Friday tapped Lee Jin-sung, an incumbent justice of the court, to head the Constitutional Court.

Lee is his second nomination for the head of the top court since taking office on May 10.

The nomination comes over a month after Moon’s first choice, Constitutional Court Justice Kim Yi-su was rejected by the opposition-led National Assembly. 

Kim currently serves as acting chief of the Constitutional Court. The post has been vacant since former Chief Justice Park Han-chul retired in January.

“(Lee) has served the role of Constitutional Court justice faithfully, defending the basic rights of the people and the Constitution,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Soo-hyun said, saying that Lee has consistently ruled to protect the weak, and to protect the people’s rights from those in power.

“Lee is second in seniority after Justice Kim Yi-su, and has ample administrative experience, making him the right man to lead the Constitutional Court.”

Lee passed the national bar exam in 1977, and held key posts including the post of chief of the Gwangju High Court, and served as the chief of Seoul Central District Court, before joining the Constitutional Court in 2012.

Lee‘s nomination apparently comes as a surprise to many as the presidential office earlier cited a need to address the issue over the term of a new court chief.

Cheong Wa Dae earlier insisted a new chief justice should receive another six-year term following his or her appointment, while the opposition parties argued the new court chief should only serve the remainder of his or her original six-year term as a justice. Only a Constitutional Court justice can be appointed the chief justice under the current law.

Lee has been a Constitutional Court justice since 2012 and was set to step down as a justice in September 2018. A new chief justice must undergo a confirmation hearing by the parliament and also win parliamentary approval for appointment.

Lee’s nomination comes just over a week since Moon nominated Gwangju High Court chief Yoo Nam-seok as a Constitutional Court justice.

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party on Friday had refused to open Yoo’s confirmation hearing, arguing that the president must nominate a leader for the Constitutional Court.

By Choi He-suk and news reports (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)