Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae said Tuesday that the president has no authority to intervene when he recommends candidates for justices of the top court, escalating a dispute with President Lee Jae Myung over the selection of a new justice. Cho made the remarks during a parliamentary audit of the Supreme Court, where he strongly defended his constitutional authority and criticized Cheong Wa Dae's demand that he nominate another candidate. "Just as the chief justice cannot interfere in the National Assembly's approval process or the president's appointment process, neither the National Assembly nor the president can interfere in the chief justice's recommendation," Cho said. He argued that such intervention would violate the constitutional division of powers among state institutions and undermine judicial independence. His remarks followed a clash between Lee and the chief justice over the justice selection that has lasted more than a month. Under Article 104 of the Constitution, a 10-member recommendation committee selects at least three candidates for Supreme Court justice. The