The ruling party on Monday continued its push to carry out a sweeping judicial overhaul and urge the Supreme Court's Chief Justice Jo Hee-de to resign, drawing flak from the conservative opposition.
The Democratic Party of Korea, which has a strong majority in the National Assembly, has pushed to split the prosecutors' office, double the number of Supreme Court justices, give lawmakers the power to assess judges, and create a special tribunal for insurrection crimes related to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law imposition in December.
In addition to this, the ruling party demanded Chief Justice Jo's resignation, accusing him of political bias.
The ruling bloc accused the Supreme Court, led by Jo, of intervening in the presidential election through a 10-2 ruling in May that found Lee guilty of making false claims in his 2022 presidential campaign, remanding the case to a lower court.
Had the final verdict found Lee guilty, it could have banned him from public office — and therefore running for president — but the trial has been suspended following Lee's election win, along with four other criminal cases.
Describing Jo as a "vanguard of the anti-Lee Jae Myung movement," the liberal Democratic Party Chair Rep. Jung Chung-rae said in a party meeting in Seoul on Monday that Jo must apologize and resign for expressing concerns about pressure from the ruling party and judicial independence.
“Isn’t it Jo himself who violated the independence of the judiciary and the political neutrality of the court?" Jung said.
Jung also claimed that Jo's conservative "political leaning" underscored the need to establish a special tribunal under the Seoul Central District Court.
“Chief Justice Jo has already lost trust within the court, and there is an internal assessment (from the judicial branch) that he is so biased that he is no longer capable of performing his duties at the post," he claimed.
This followed remarks by Rep. Choo Mi-ae, the Democratic Party member who chairs the Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee. On Sunday, Choo, in a Facebook post, alleged that Jo was attempting to "protect insurrectionists" by deliberately delaying the court proceedings concerning those involved in Yoon's botched martial law imposition.
Kang Yu-jung, a spokesperson for President Lee, expressed agreement “in principle” that someone appointed with the approval of elected officials, whose authority comes from the people, must respect such a demand.
In response, the main opposition People Power Party leader, Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, argued in a party meeting in Busan on Monday that Kang's statement is proof that Jo's resignation is "what the presidential office wants the most."
Jang added that Jo's departure could lead to President Lee's acquittal in all five criminal trials he faces, on charges including an election law violation and breach of trust regarding lucrative land development projects.
During the parliament's interpellation session to the government on Monday, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok practically defended the ruling party's stance by saying, "I'm well aware of how the public is disappointed by the chief justice and the judicial branch."
The latest development comes amid debate over whether the Democratic Party was seeking to undermine the separation of powers. The government and the ruling party argues that the legislature needs to restore its ability to check the judiciary.
Earlier Thursday, President Lee said in a news conference that South Korea’s judiciary should not precede the legislative powers.
"The judiciary derives its authority indirectly from politics. But one day, it happened to be the other way around," Lee said.
People Power Party's spokesperson Rep. Park Sung-hoon also said in a statement Monday that the ruling bloc was destroying the principle of the separation of powers.
Former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon claimed the removal of Jo from his post "would constitute a ground for President Lee's impeachment."
On Friday, South Korea’s top court officials said the ruling bloc’s actions should be assessed for their impact on the public and society before moving forward.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
