SEOUL, Former Supreme Court Justice Cho Hee-dae, nominated Wednesday as the new chief of the top court, is known to be a centrist conservative and a man of principle.
Cho, born in the southeastern city of Gyeongju in 1957, began his judicial career at the predecessor of the Seoul Central District Court in 1986 after graduating from the Seoul National University School of Law.
Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee Cho Hee-dae
He had served at several district courts nationwide and worked as a judicial researcher at the Supreme Court before being appointed as the head of the Daegu District Court in 2012. Cho then served as a Supreme Court justice from March 2014 to March 2020.
While serving at the highest court, Cho mainly expressed conservative views in politically sensitive cases. He also earned the nickname of “Mr. Minority Opinion” by expressing opinions that were contrary to the views of the majority of Supreme Court justices.
After leaving the Supreme Court, the 66-year-old Cho taught at Sungkyunkwan University Law School. Junior judges have reportedly regarded him as thoroughly faithful to his judicial duty and highly self-disciplined.
Source: Yonhap News Agency