On November 8th, President Yoon Suk-yeol nominated Distinguished Chair Professor Cho Hee-dae from the Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) Law School as a candidate to become the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Prof. Jo has worked as a judge in the Korean judicial system for the past 27 years, notably serving as a justice of the Supreme Court between 2014 and 2020. After his retirement in 2020, Prof. Jo was invited to SKKU as a Distinguished Chair Professor and has since been teaching in the Law School. Prof. Jo, who was known for his fundamentalist approach to law during his service as a Supreme Court Justice, is currently awaiting confirmation from the National Assembly. However, there are concerns already about the next Chief Justice, as Prof. Cho is nearing the mandatory retirement age for Supreme Court Justices, which is set at 70 years old. Therefore, even if Prof. Cho is confirmed by the National Assembly as the next Chief Justice, he will not be able to complete his full six-year term and will have to step down early in 2027.