# Justice of the Constitutional Court of Korea

The Constitutional Court of Korea is one of two highest courts in the court system of South Korea. It is composed of nine Constitutional Court justices (Korean: 헌법재판소 재판관; Hanja: 憲法裁判所 裁判官; RR: Heonbeopjaepanso Jaepangwan). One of the nine justices serves as the chief justice, official titled the President of the Constitutional Court. The number of Constitutional Court justices is specified in Article 111 Clause 2 of the Constitution of South Korea.
By Article 111 Clause 2 of the constitution, all of the Constitutional Court justices are appointed by the president of South Korea. However, following Article 111 Clause 3 of the constitution, three of the Constitutional Court justices should be appointed from candidates selected by the National Assembly, and another three should be appointed from candidates nominated by the Supreme Court chief justice. Thus, only three of nine Constitutional Court justices are directly appointed by the president of South Korea. They serve for a renewable six-year term under Article 112 Clause 1 of the constitution. All but two justices retired without renewing the term, citing the potential harm to judicial independence and outsize influence of the president of South Korea on the Constitutional Court.
According to Article 5 Clause 1 of the Constitutional Court Act, Constitutional Court justices should be at least 40 years old, qualified as an attorney, and have more than 15 years of career in legal practice or legal academia.

## Current members

This table lists current Justices in Constitutional Court of Korea.
| Name | Tenure / Current Length | Appointed by | Selected·Nominated by | Education |
| Moon Hyungbae | April 19, 2019 / 5 years, 9 months | Moon Jae-in | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Seoul National University |
| Lee Mison | April 19, 2019 / 5 years, 9 months | Moon Jae-in | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Pusan National University |
| Kim Hyungdu | March 31, 2023 / 1 year, 10 months | Yoon Suk Yeol | Chief Justice (Kim Myeong-soo) | Seoul National University |
| Jeong Jeong-mi | April 17, 2023 / 1 year, 9 months | Yoon Suk Yeol | Chief Justice (Kim Myeong-soo) | Seoul National University |
| Jeong Hyeong-sik | December 18, 2023 / 1 year, 1 month | Yoon Suk Yeol | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Seoul National University |
| Kim Bok-hyeong | September 21, 2024 / 4 months | Yoon Suk Yeol | Chief Justice (Cho Hee-dae) | Seoul National University |
| Cho Hanchang | January 1, 2025 / 1 month | Choi Sang-mok | National Assembly (People Power Party) | Seoul National University |
| Chung Kyesun | January 1, 2025 / 1 month | Choi Sang-mok | National Assembly (Democratic Party) | Seoul National University |
| Vacant | Vacant since October 2024 | | National Assembly | |

## Former Justices

This table lists former Justices in the Constitutional Court of Korea. Since South Korea adopted American styled 3-year law school system for legal education in 2008, 'education' column of below table means where former Justices received undergraduate degrees.
| Name | Tenure | Position | Appointed by | Selected·Nominated by | Selected·Nominated by | Education |
| Cho Kyu-kwang | Sep. 1988 − Sep. 1994 | 1st President | Roh Tae-woo | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Seoul National University |
| Lee Seong-yeol | Sep. 1988 − Aug. 1991 | Justice | Roh Tae-woo | Chief Justice | Lee Il-kyu | Chosun University |
| Byun Jeong-soo | Sep. 1988 − Sep. 1994 | Justice | Roh Tae-woo | National Assembly | Peace Democratic | Korea University (dropped out) |
| Kim Chin-woo | Sep. 1988 − Sep. 1994 | Justice | Roh Tae-woo | National Assembly | Reunification Democratic | Seoul National University |
| Kim Chin-woo | Sep. 1994 − Jan. 1997 | Justice | Kim Young-sam | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | | Seoul National University |
| Han Byung-chae | Sep. 1988 − Sep. 1994 | Justice | Roh Tae-woo | National Assembly | Democratic Justice | Seoul National University |
| Lee Shi-yoon | Sep. 1988 − Dec. 1993 | Justice | Roh Tae-woo | Chief Justice | Lee Il-kyu | Seoul National University |
| Choe Kwang-ryool | Sep. 1988 − Sep. 1994 | Justice | Roh Tae-woo | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Seoul National University |
| Kim Yang-kyun | Sep. 1988 − Sep. 1994 | Justice | Roh Tae-woo | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Chonnam National University |
| Kim Moon-hee | Sep. 1988 − Sep. 1994 | Justice | Roh Tae-woo | Chief Justice | Lee Il-kyu | Seoul National University |
| Kim Moon-hee | Sep. 1994 − Sep. 2000 | Justice | Kim Young-sam | (By consensus of National Assembly) | (By consensus of National Assembly) | | Seoul National University |
| Hwang Do-yun | Aug. 1991 − Aug. 1997 | Justice | Roh Tae-woo | Chief Justice | Kim Deok-ju | Seoul National University |
| Lee Jae-hwa | Dec. 1993 − Dec. 1999 | Justice | Kim Young-sam | Chief Justice | Yun Kwan | Seoul National University |
| Kim Yong-joon | Sep. 1994 − Sep. 2000 | 2nd President | Kim Young-sam | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Seoul National University |
| Cho Seung-hyung | Sep. 1994 − Sep. 1999 | Justice | Kim Young-sam | National Assembly | Democratic | Seoul National University |
| Chung Kyung-sik | Sep. 1994 − Sep. 2000 | Justice | Kim Young-sam | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Korea University |
| Koh Joong-suk | Sep. 1994 − Sep. 2000 | Justice | Kim Young-sam | Chief Justice | Yun Kwan | Seoul National University |
| Shin Chang-on | Sep. 1994 − Sep. 2000 | Justice | Kim Young-sam | National Assembly | Democratic Liberal | Seoul National University |
| Lee Young-mo | Jan. 1997 − Mar. 2001 | Justice | Kim Young-sam | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Pusan National University |
| Han Dae-hyun | Aug. 1997 − Aug. 2003 | Justice | Kim Young-sam | Chief Justice | Yun Kwan | Seoul National University |
| Ha Kyung-chul | Sep. 1999 − Jan. 2004 | Justice | Kim Dae-jung | National Assembly | New Politics | Seoul National University |
| Kim Young-il | Dec. 1999 − Mar. 2005 | Justice | Kim Dae-jung | Chief Justice | Choi Jong-young | Seoul National University |
| Yun Young-chul | Sep. 2000 − Sep. 2006 | 3rd President | Kim Dae-jung | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Seoul National University |
| Kwon Seong | Sep. 2000 − Aug. 2006 | Justice | Kim Dae-jung | National Assembly | Grand National | Seoul National University |
| Kim Hyo-jong | Sep. 2000 − Sep. 2006 | Justice | Kim Dae-jung | (By consensus of National Assembly) | (By consensus of National Assembly) | Seoul National University |
| Kim Kyoung-il | Sep. 2000 − Sep. 2006 | Justice | Kim Dae-jung | Chief Justice | Choi Jong-young | Seoul National University |
| Song In-jun | Sep. 2000 − Sep. 2006 | Justice | Kim Dae-jung | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Seoul National University |
| Choo Sun-hoe | Mar. 2001 − Mar. 2007 | Justice | Kim Dae-jung | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Korea University |
| Jeon Hyo-sook | Aug. 2003 − Aug. 2006 | Justice | Roh Moo-hyun | Chief Justice | Choi Jong-young | Ewha Womans University |
| Lee Sang-kyung | Feb. 2004 − Jun. 2005 | Justice | Roh Moo-hyun | National Assembly | Millennium Democratic | Chung-Ang University |
| Lee Kong-hyun | Mar. 2005 − Mar. 2011 | Justice | Roh Moo-hyun | Chief Justice | Choi Jong-young | Seoul National University |
| Cho Dae-hyen | Jul. 2005 − Jul. 2011 | Justice | Roh Moo-hyun | National Assembly | Uri | Seoul National University |
| Kim Hee-ok | Sep. 2006 − Dec. 2010 | Justice | Roh Moo-hyun | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Dongguk University |
| Kim Jong-dae | Sep. 2006 − Sep. 2012 | Justice | Roh Moo-hyun | Chief Justice | Lee Yong-hoon | Seoul National University |
| Min Hyeong-ki | Sep. 2006 − Sep. 2012 | Justice | Roh Moo-hyun | Chief Justice | Lee Yong-hoon | Seoul National University |
| Lee Dong-heub | Sep. 2006 − Sep. 2012 | Justice | Roh Moo-hyun | National Assembly | Grand National | Seoul National University |
| Mok Young-joon | Sep. 2006 − Sep. 2012 | Justice | Roh Moo-hyun | (By consensus of National Assembly) | (By consensus of National Assembly) | Seoul National University |
| Lee Kang-kook | Jan. 2007 − Jan. 2013 | 4th President | Roh Moo-hyun | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Seoul National University |
| Song Doo-hwan | Mar. 2007 − Mar. 2013 | Justice | Roh Moo-hyun | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Seoul National University |
| Park Han-chul | Feb. 2011 − Apr. 2013 | Justice | Lee Myung-bak | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Seoul National University |
| Park Han-chul | Apr. 2013 − Jan. 2017 | 5th President | Park Geun-hye | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | | Seoul National University |
| Lee Jung-mi | Mar. 2011 − Mar. 2017 | Justice | Lee Myung-bak | Chief Justice | Lee Yong-hoon | Korea University |
| Kim Yi-Su | Sep. 2012 − Sep. 2018 | Justice | Lee Myung-bak | National Assembly | Democratic United | Seoul National University |
| Lee Jin-sung | Sep. 2012 − Nov. 2017 | Justice | Lee Myung-bak | Chief Justice | Yang Sung-tae | Seoul National University |
| Lee Jin-sung | Nov. 2017 − Sep. 2018 | 6th President | Moon Jae-in | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | | Seoul National University |
| Kim Chang-jong | Sep. 2012 − Sep. 2018 | Justice | Lee Myung-bak | Chief Justice | Yang Sung-tae | Kyungpook National University |
| Ahn Chang-ho | Sep. 2012 − Sep. 2018 | Justice | Lee Myung-bak | National Assembly | Saenuri | Seoul National University |
| Kang Il-won | Sep. 2012 − Sep. 2018 | Justice | Lee Myung-bak | (By consensus of National Assembly) | (By consensus of National Assembly) | Seoul National University |
| Seo Ki-seog | Apr. 2013 − Apr. 2019 | Justice | Park Geun-hye | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Seoul National University |
| Cho Yong-ho | Apr. 2013 − Apr. 2019 | Justice | Park Geun-hye | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Konkuk University |
| Lee Seon-ae | Mar. 2017 − Mar. 2023 | Justice | Hwang Kyo-ahn | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Seoul National University |
| Yoo Nam-seok | Nov. 2017 − Nov. 2023 | Justice | Moon Jae-in | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | Seoul National University |
| Yoo Nam-seok | Sep. 2018 − Nov. 2023 | 7th President | Moon Jae-in | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | | Seoul National University |
| Lee Suk-tae | Sep. 2018 − Apr. 2023 | Justice | Moon Jae-in | Chief Justice | Kim Myeong-soo | Seoul National University |
| Lee Eunae | Sep. 2018 − Sep. 2024 | Justice | Moon Jae-in | Chief Justice | Kim Myeong-soo | Seoul National University |
| Lee Jongseok | Oct. 2018 − Oct. 2024 | Justice | Moon Jae-in | National Assembly | Liberty Korea | Seoul National University |
| Lee Jongseok | Nov. 2023 − Oct. 2024 | 8th President | Yoon Suk Yeol | (Directly by President of South Korea) | (Directly by President of South Korea) | | Seoul National University |
| Lee Youngjin | Oct. 2018 − Oct. 2024 | Justice | Moon Jae-in | National Assembly | Bareunmirae | Sungkyunkwan University |
| Kim Kiyoung | Oct. 2018 − Oct. 2024 | Justice | Moon Jae-in | National Assembly | Democratic | Seoul National University |