KRThe Supreme Court of South Korea has restructured its divisions to maintain judicial operations amid a shortage of two justices. Following the recent resignation of Justice Lee Heung-gu and the delayed appointment of his successor, the court moved Chief Justice Eom Sang-pil from Division 2 to Division 3 to ensure at least three justices are present for hearings. This restructuring comes after Justice No Gyeong-pil left Division 3 to become head of the Judicial Policy Office. Currently, Division 3 is handling several high-profile cases, including the 'judicial scandal' involving former judicial administration officials, allegations against President Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife regarding misuse of corporate credit cards, and a child abuse case linked to a webtoon artist’s son. While the immediate crisis of halted proceedings has been avoided, the workload per justice is expected to increase due to the reduced number of justices. The nomination process for Justice Lee’s successor, Kim Sung-su, is progressing, with a hearing scheduled for next week. However, the appointment of a replacement for former Justice No Tae-ak remains stalled due to the presidential office rejecting the proposed name
Bias read (Center): The article provides a factual account of the structural changes within the Supreme Court and the ongoing appointments process. It presents both the current situation and potential future developments without overtly favoring any particular side. The language used is neutral, focusing on procedural,