Itanhee Criticizes 'Dismissal of Judge Impeachment' as "Abandoning Role of Upholding Constitution... Deeply Regrettable"

On the afternoon of the 28th, a verdict hearing for the impeachment trial of former Chief Judge Im Seong-geun was held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul. After the hearing, Democratic Party lawmakers Park Ju-min and Lee Tan-hee expressed their positions. At the hearing, the Constitutional Court decided with a 5 (dismissal) to 3 (acceptance) vote among the justices. One justice expressed the opinion that the trial procedure should be terminated. This conclusion came about eight months after the National Assembly decided on February 4th this year, for the first time in constitutional history, to impeach former Chief Judge Im, a judge. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Tae-min Ryu] Lee Tan-hee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who led the motion to impeach former Chief Judge Im Seong-geun, criticized the Constitutional Court's dismissal decision, saying, "The Constitutional Court has abandoned its role as a constitutional guardian," and expressed "extreme regret."

On the 28th, immediately after the verdict in the impeachment trial of former Chief Judge Im, Lee stated, "Taking no action against a clear act of judicial interference and constitutional violation simply because the term has expired encourages judicial gatekeeping," pointing out the issue.

At 2 p.m. that day, the Constitutional Court delivered its verdict on the impeachment trial of former Chief Judge Im with a 5 (dismissal) to 3 (acceptance) decision. One justice expressed the opinion that the trial procedure should be terminated.

The majority justices reasoned that since former Chief Judge Im had already left public office and could not be dismissed, there was no benefit to the impeachment trial. On the other hand, the justices who supported acceptance pointed out the need for the Constitutional Court to clarify the significance of judicial independence and the constitutional responsibility of judges, noting that former Chief Judge Im's interference in trials had exceeded acceptable limits.

Lee said, "All the justices who proceeded to the substantive judgment rather than dismissal judged that former Chief Judge Im's actions were serious constitutional violations," adding, "It is meaningful in that it officially confirmed that the judicial scandal during Chief Justice Yang Seung-tae's era was a crime." He further added, "The judicial scandal under Yang Seung-tae was a tragic event in constitutional history, and I hope it serves as an opportunity to prevent recurrence."

Park Joo-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who also attended the press conference, said, "I thought dismissal was possible, but I believed a constitutional evaluation of former Chief Judge Im's actions could be made," expressing regret that this was not done. He also pointed out, "In the past, even when dismissal or rejection decisions were made, the Constitutional Court conducted various constitutional evaluations, but this time it was limited to a formal judgment."