[Summary] "Including Serious Illegalities" vs "Is Article Scrapping Surveillance?" Ruling and Opposition Clash Over 'Surveillance Allegation Document'

與 "Insensitivity that doesn't even recognize a temple as a temple," "Undermining judicial independence"
野 "Just common public opinion," "Collecting public opinion is a normal task"

Kim Nam-guk, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Intense disputes are unfolding between the ruling and opposition parties over the so-called 'illegal surveillance document on judges' disclosed by Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol. The Democratic Party of Korea claims it is illegal surveillance, pointing out that the information was 'illegally collected,' while the People Power Party refutes this, arguing it is merely a simple compilation of public opinions with no issues.

Earlier, on the 26th, Prosecutor General Yoon revealed a document that Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae had claimed was illegal surveillance of the judiciary. The document consists of a total of 7 pages and contains public opinion information related to 37 judges across 13 courts.

The ruling party criticized this, stating that the prosecution illegally collected the information. Democratic Party lawmakers Kim Nam-guk and Kim Yong-min, members of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, held an emergency press conference at the National Assembly that afternoon, saying, "Regarding the allegations of surveillance on judges by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, judiciary committee members received the report from the Ministry of Justice and confirmed it," adding, "It contains very serious illegalities, and further investigation is necessary."

According to their explanation, the document was created on February 26, and among the judges listed, 12 have various public opinion details recorded, including their alma mater, major rulings, membership in specific groups, a list of judges who caused controversies, evaluations of their trial attitudes, hobbies, and family relationships.

The lawmakers pointed out that such content "is difficult to see as information related to prosecution maintenance," and "if the Supreme Prosecutors' Office systematically collected information on judges, it would severely undermine judicial independence."

Park Beom-gye, a fellow party member and former judge, also wrote on Facebook that day, questioning, "'Judge A is a member of Uri Law Research Association and is evaluated as reasonable,' 'Judge B's special note: second-in-command's sister-in-law,' 'Judge C is famous for basketball skills while attending Seoul National University Law School'?is this not surveillance?"

He continued, "This is a numbness that does not even recognize surveillance as surveillance," and said, "Imagine if the National Intelligence Service produced such a document. Would it be legal just because the Supreme Prosecutors' Office did it?"

Jang Je-won, a member of the People Power Party, is questioning at the plenary meeting of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 16th. / Photo by Yonhap News

On the other hand, the opposition party responded that there is no problem. On the 27th, Jang Je-won of the People Power Party wrote on his Facebook, "It lists Chief Judge Jo Mi-yeon's past major rulings, trial experience, academic background, and career," adding, "Regarding Kim Yi-soo, a Constitutional Court Justice who was the sole dissenter in the dissolution of the Unified Progressive Party, it covers not only religion but also his marathon full-course completion and public opinion that he makes rulings protecting the vulnerable. Is compiling such articles 'surveillance'?" This implies that the document is closer to a simple article scrap rather than illegal surveillance using illicit means.

He continued, "The position of a judge can change a person's life and even the history of the country," and said, "The public inevitably takes an interest in who the judges handling trials are, and the media publishes analytical articles. Moreover, can it be called surveillance when the prosecution, which has to compete with lawyers in trials, merely added public opinions to general information about the judiciary and compiled it?"

Yoo Sang-beom, a fellow party member and member of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, appeared on KBS Radio's 'Kim Kyung-rae's Strong Current Affairs' that day and said, "Democratic Party lawmaker Park Joo-min also said, 'If it is not illegal means such as tailing or wiretapping, and the collected information is not personal weaknesses, gathering public opinions is a normal task,'" and argued, "It is the same as finding out who the person you are going on a blind date with is, so it is not surveillance."