Constitutional Court President Yoo Nam-seok described his term as chief justice as honorable and precious yet also a time of anguish and deliberation as his tenure came to an end on Friday.

At his retirement ceremony, Yoo said he had made efforts in his six years as chief of the court to restructure its regulations on rulings and its operational system, expand the number of constitutional researchers, and increase expediency and efficiency in handling cases.

Referring to sharp confrontation between various values in society and increasing polarization, the outgoing chief called for an active and flexible approach based on the values of basic human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

While President Yoon Suk Yeol has nominated current justice Lee Jong-seok to replace Yoo, the post could be vacant for some time with the National Assembly set to convene a confirmation hearing for Lee on Monday.

This is the second vacancy in the judiciary as the post for Supreme Court chief justice has been unfilled for over 40 days after former nominee Lee Gyun-ryong withdrew amid various allegations to be replaced by former justice Jo Hee-de as nominee earlier this week.