New Supreme Court Justice Ma Yong-joo, 56, took office on the 9th. In his inauguration speech, Justice Ma said, "While interpreting and applying the law, I will always keep in mind the spirit of the Constitution and the law," adding that "the Supreme Court should declare normative values through legal interpretation to resolve conflicts in our society and suggest a way forward."

Justice Ma Yong-joo is delivering a speech at his inauguration ceremony held at the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on Nov. 9. /Courtesy of Yonhap News Agency

With Justice Ma's inauguration, the Supreme Court, which had been operating with one vacant position for 103 days, has returned to a full complement of 14 justices. The total number of Supreme Court justices, including the Chief Justice, is 14. The full court is composed of 13 members, excluding the head of the Court Administration Office. Justice Cheon Dae-yeop, who heads the Court Administration Office, does not participate in the full court hearings.

Earlier, Chief Justice Jo Hee-dae nominated Justice Ma on November 26 last year as the successor to former Justice Kim Sang-hwan. The National Assembly passed Justice Ma's appointment consent on December 27 last year. At that time, the appointment was delayed as acting President Han Duck-soo postponed the appointment of Constitutional Court Justice Ma Eun-hyuk.

In his inauguration speech, Justice Ma stated, "The law is the product of absolute reason, but its interpretation and application must have roots in reality," emphasizing that "above all, it must conform to common sense that all citizens can accept." He further noted, "To be a correct conclusion that the people can accept, I believe we must be able to answer the question, 'Is my conclusion in line with common sense?'"

Justice Ma graduated from Nakdong High School in Busan and the Law School at Seoul National University, and was appointed a judge at the Seoul District Court in 1997. He is regarded as an "elite judge" who served as a senior research judge and chief research judge at the Supreme Court from 2017 to 2021. He has extensive experience in judicial administration, having served as a personnel director and ethics auditor at the Court Administration Office.