Constitutional Court Begins Impeachment Hearing of Im Seong-geun... Presiding Judge Lee Seok-tae, Former Minbyun Member (Comprehensive)

Constitutional Court Justice Lee Seok-tae / Photo by Jin-hyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The Constitutional Court has begun hearings on the impeachment motion against Im Seong-geun, Chief Judge of the Busan High Court, who is involved in the 'judicial scandal.' It is known that the presiding judge is Constitutional Court Justice Lee Seok-tae, a former president of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society.

According to the legal community on the 5th, the full bench of the Constitutional Court is currently reviewing the impeachment motion against Chief Judge Im, which was submitted by the National Assembly the previous day. An official case number has also been assigned.

It is reported that the presiding judge was appointed to Justice Lee through electronic assignment. Although all nine justices participate in the impeachment trial, the presiding justice plays a role in organizing the case details and issues to assist the other justices' judgments. Justice Lee, a former president of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society, was nominated as a Constitutional Court justice by Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo in 2018.

The first hearing will be a public oral argument, during which the court will review the impeachment motion and then set a date to hear opinions from both the National Assembly and Chief Judge Im. In particular, considering that there is no precedent for judicial impeachment trials and the high public interest, it is known that a dedicated task force of judicial research officers has also been formed.

In the legal community, given that Chief Judge Im's term expires on the 28th, it is widely expected that the Constitutional Court will likely dismiss the case. However, since this case is directly related to the judicial independence obligation stipulated in Article 103 of the Constitution, there is also speculation that the Constitutional Court will issue opinions on the constitutionality through supplementary opinions.