Justice Jeong Hyeong-sik, a constitutional judge, was observed commuting to the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 16th, according to Yonhap News.
Justice Jeong Hyeong-sik (63, Class of 17, Judicial Research and Training Institute) has reportedly been designated as the chief judge to oversee the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol. According to legal sources, the Constitutional Court assigned the impeachment case to Justice Jeong on the 16th. The chief judge for a constitutional trial is assigned through a random computer draw. On this day, to appoint the chief judges for three impeachment trials submitted, a random allocation was conducted among the five justices excluding Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyeong-bae of the Constitutional Court. The subjects were President Yoon, Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae, and Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency Cho Ji-ho.
As a result, Justice Jeong was assigned as the chief judge for President Yoon’s impeachment trial. According to regulations, Justice Lee Mi-seon, who belongs to the same chamber, will also participate as an assigned judge responsible for evidence investigation.
Justice Jeong was directly appointed by President Yoon and took office in December last year. The Constitutional Court is comprised of a total of nine justices, with three appointed by the President, three by the Chief Justice, and three elected by the National Assembly.
Justice Jeong graduated from Seoul High School and Seoul National University School of Law and passed the bar exam in 1985. After completing training at the institute, he began his career as a judge at the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Court, and has served in positions including research judge at the Supreme Court, chief judge at Daejeon and Seoul High Courts, chief judge at the Seoul Administrative Court, chief judge at the Seoul Rehabilitation Court, and chief judge at the Daejeon High Court.
He is related by marriage to Park Sun-young, the head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, as his wife’s sister. Former Supreme Court Justice Min Il-young, Park’s spouse, is his brother-in-law.
Justice Jeong has handled several high-profile criminal cases, including the appellate trials of Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics, related to the corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye and Choi Soon-sil, and former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook’s illegal political funds case.
In 2018, he presided over the appellate trial of Vice Chairman Lee, overturning the initial five-year prison sentence and granting a suspended sentence. This decision was later reversed by the Supreme Court, and Lee was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison in a remanded trial and was taken into custody. During this period, a petition demanding a special inspection of Justice Jeong was posted on the Blue House’s national petition platform.
In 2013, he also presided over the appellate trial of the case involving former Prime Minister Han, overturning her acquittal and sentencing her to two years in prison, a verdict that was upheld by the Supreme Court.