Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de arrives at the Supreme Court in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)
Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de arrives at the Supreme Court in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)

Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de is under investigation over multiple allegations, the state anticorruption agency confirmed Tuesday.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials said in a regular briefing that an investigation into the 68-year-old chief justice is underway. Officials declined to provide details, saying the accusations against Jo involve several complaints that are being handled by different investigative teams.

“We have not confirmed which specific case involves Chief Justice Jo or who the complainants are,” an official said, adding that the probe into the incumbent head of the nation’s top court remains at a very early stage.

The CIO opens investigations only after a criminal complaint has been filed.

Several complaints have been lodged against Jo, including accusations from civic groups that he interfered in the June 3 presidential election. The groups filed a complaint in May, accusing him of abuse of power and violating the Public Officials Election Act.

They allege that Jo acted against President Lee Jae Myung, then the Democratic Party of Korea’s presidential candidate, by having the Supreme Court overturn his not-guilty verdict in an election law case unusually quickly and remanding the case to a lower court shortly before the presidential election.

A final ruling on Lee was subsequently delayed, with the court citing the need to ensure equal opportunity during the election campaign. After Lee won the presidency, the case was suspended because the Constitution bars prosecuting a sitting president except for insurrection or treason.

Following Lee’s victory, lawmakers of the now-ruling Democratic Party have increased pressure on Jo to step down.

Jo is also suspected of holding a meeting with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo — who served as acting president after Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment — and telling him he would “handle” the case involving Lee.

Jo appeared at a parliamentary hearing in October over allegations of election interference, but he opposed allowing judges to testify about trials and declined to answer lawmakers’ questions.

He also faces suspicion of influencing the judiciary in the aftermath of former President Yoon’s failed martial law attempt, for which Yoon and senior members of his administration are now on trial for insurrection.

Ruling party lawmakers allege that under Jo’s leadership, the Supreme Court did not randomly assign insurrection-related cases to judges as required, but instead designated them to specific judges.


minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com