Yoo Nam-seok


Yoo Nam-seok is the President of the Constitutional Court of Korea.

Early life

Born in Mokpo, Jeonnam Province of South Korea, Yoo Nam-Seok graduated from Seoul National University college of law. He passed the 23rd National Bar Exam in 1981 and completed the Judicial Research and Training Institute in 1983 to be a judge.
He expressed his view that conscientious objectors should be allowed to be granted the opportunity for alternative military service instead of being punished on his paper titled ‘Legal Review on Conscientious Objectors’ during his military service as an army legal officer in 1985.
He was a presiding judge of the Seoul High Court before becoming the 35th Chief Judge of the Gwangju High Court to replace his predecessor Bang Geukseong in February 2016.
He was nominated as a Constitutional Court justice by President Moon Jae-In on October 19, 2017 and sworn in on November 13, 2017.
The National Assembly passed a bill to appoint him as the President of the Constitutional Court on September 20, 2018 and President Moon appointed him to the presidency the next day.

Career

1986 Judge, Seoul Civil District Court
1994 Judge, Seoul High Court
1996 Judge, Research Division, Supreme Court
2002 Senior Judge, Seoul Central District Court and Director of Judicial Policy, Supreme Court Administration
2003 Senior Judge, Seoul Administrative Court
2005 Senior Judge, Daejeon High Court
2008 Dispatched to the Constitutional Court
2010 Senior Judge, Seoul High Court
2012 Chief Judge, Seoul Northern District Court
2016 Chief Judge, Gwangju High Court
2017 Justice, Constitutional Court
2018~ President, Constitutional Court