This file photo shows Paik Jin-hyun, former president of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 6 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea will nominate Paik Jin-hyun, former president of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), as a candidate for the election for judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the foreign ministry said Thursday.
Paik, an honorary professor at Seoul National University, will compete in the election to fill five of the 15 seats on the judge panel at the Hague-based U.N. organ, scheduled for late 2026.
Paik, known for his extensive expertise as a legal scholar, is the first South Korean nominee for the ICJ judge election.
An ICJ judge is elected to a nine-year term by the U.N. General Assembly and the U.N. Security Council, requiring an absolute majority of votes in both bodies.
“We have long believed that it is necessary to contribute to the field of international law in a way that befits our national status and dignity, and that this requires eventual participation in the ICJ,” a ministry official told reporters.
“Judge Paik has been chosen as the candidate based on the broad domestic consensus we have gathered through various consultations with relevant government agencies, academic circles, and former senior officials in the foreign and legal sectors,” the official said.
(Yonhap)
