Acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi, who oversaw President Park Geun-hye's impeachment trial, will retire from office early this week, ending her six-year tenure.
The only female among the eight constitutional judges, who led the court in its unanimous decision to uphold Park's impeachment Friday, the first time a democratically elected president has been removed from office in Korean history, will leave office Monday.
The 55-year-old is also the youngest among the judges.
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Acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi (Yonhap) |
She had served as head judge at the Seoul Central District Court, the Seoul High Court and the Busan High Court before she was named as a constitutional judge in March 2011.
Lee became acting chief justice on Jan. 31, when the former chief justice retired amid the impeachment trial.
On the day of the verdict on Park's impeachment, she became an Internet sensation by appearing in court several hours before she read the verdict, with pink plastic rollers in her hair. Many foreign news media sent stories about it, with one titled "Hardworking Korean Judge Too Busy to Care About Wearing Hair Rollers to Court."
In the ruling, she said, "(The court hopes this decision) will serve as a foundation to end the division of national opinion and chaos, and move down a road of national unity and healing." (Yonhap)
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