"Judge Suspending Quarantine Pass Effectiveness, Petition to Reject Resignation Receives 30,000 Supporters at Blue House"

Quarantine Pass.
Photo by Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] A petition has been posted on the Blue House National Petition Board requesting the rejection of resignation letters submitted by judges who recently issued rulings suspending the effectiveness of the vaccine pass.

On the 18th, a post titled "Please reject the resignation letters of the chief judges who made righteous rulings regarding the vaccine pass!" was uploaded to the Blue House National Petition Board. The petitioner pointed to the Administrative Division 8 (Chief Judge Lee Jong-hwan) and Administrative Division 4 (Chief Judge Han Won-kyo) of the Seoul Administrative Court.

The petitioner stated, "The judiciary must deliver just rulings solely based on the people and the law, without interference from any political pressure," and added, "Despite political pressure, these two judges made excellent rulings based on legal reasoning for the people."

They continued, "It is clear that the vaccine pass measure restricts fundamental rights such as the pursuit of happiness for unvaccinated individuals, and while fundamental rights of the people can be limited by law for public welfare, their essential content cannot be infringed upon."

Furthermore, the petitioner said, "The judiciary cited the suspension of the administrative order, stating that the vaccine pass cannot infringe upon constitutional rights such as the pursuit of happiness, bodily freedom, right to education, and equality, and the executive branch should respect the judiciary's decision," adding, "If the vaccine pass is implemented indiscriminately to the extent that it restricts the lives of the people, unvaccinated individuals will suffer irreparable damage, thereby violating constitutional fundamental rights."

Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Capture

The petitioner said, "Many citizens support Judge Han Won-kyo, who ruled to suspend enforcement in the administrative lawsuit against the Ministry of Health and Welfare on January 4 regarding 'hagwons, study rooms, and study cafes,' and Judge Lee Jong-hwan, who ruled to suspend enforcement against Seoul City on January 14 regarding the mandatory application of the vaccine pass to 'stores, marts, and department stores' and the expanded application of the vaccine pass to adolescents aged 12 to 18."

They added, "Going forward, the judiciary must deliver just rulings solely based on the people and the law, without interference from any political pressure," emphasizing, "We earnestly petition that the judiciary reject the resignation letters of Judge Han Won-kyo and Judge Lee Jong-hwan and maintain the independence of the judiciary."

Earlier, Chief Judge Lee (of the Seoul Administrative Court Administrative Division 8) made a decision on the 4th to temporarily suspend the application of the vaccine pass to hagwons, study rooms, and study cafes until the first trial ruling of the main lawsuit.

Chief Judge Han (of the Seoul Administrative Court Administrative Division 4) suspended the effectiveness of the vaccine pass on the 14th for marts, department stores, and stores located in Seoul, and also temporarily suspended the vaccine pass effectiveness scheduled to be applied to adolescents starting in March.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Chief Judge Lee and Chief Judge Han recently submitted their resignation letters citing personal reasons.