Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae said Tuesday it is difficult to comply with the presidential office's request to newly recommend a court justice due to the lack of grounds to do so. Cho reaffirmed his position over the request during a parliamentary audit of the top court following his refusal last month to recommend a new justice candidate as requested by Cheong Wa Dae. "As Cheong Wa Dae's document requesting the new recommendation did not explicitly outline the specific reasons and constitutional grounds, it was determined difficult to proceed with follow-up procedures," Cho said. Cho said he felt apologetic to the public over the prolonged vacancy, vowing efforts to resolve the issue. Cheong Wa Dae asked Cho to recommend a new candidate to President Lee Jae Myung in August after taking issue with his recommendation, citing a lack of "procedural completeness." Cho has rejected the request, asking for specific reasons and the constitutional grounds to do so. Under the Constitution, Supreme Court justices are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the chief justice and