Chief Justice Cheon Daeyeop Appears at Legislation and Judiciary Committee Inquiry
"Substantive and Procedural Issues Were Thoroughly Discussed"
Cheon Daeyeop, Chief Justice of the National Court Administration (Supreme Court Justice), stated regarding the case of Lee Jaemyung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, who is accused of violating the Public Official Election Act, "The Supreme Court's ruling is the decision of the highest court and must be respected."
On the afternoon of May 2, appearing at an emergency inquiry by the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Chief Justice Cheon said, "Criticism and commentary on rulings are always possible," but added, "Regardless of the outcome of the case, there must be fundamental respect for the rulings of the highest court and for the judges themselves." On May 1, the Supreme Court overturned the original acquittal verdict for Lee, who had been indicted for violating the Public Official Election Act, and remanded the case to the Seoul High Court.
Chief Justice Cheon added, "First, there were substantive and legal issues regarding falsehood, and second, the speed of the trial and procedural matters were thoroughly discussed and reflected in the ruling, resulting in a decision nearly 90 pages long, as I understand it."
On the same day, when the Democratic Party raised the issue of "the need to improve the system in which the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court directly recommends Supreme Court justice candidates," he responded, "(The appointment of Supreme Court justices) is made by agreement among the Chief Justice, the President, and the National Assembly," adding, "Once appointed, a Supreme Court justice is bound by nothing but the Constitution and the law in handling all cases. This has been my experience so far, and I believe it is a principle that all Supreme Court justices consistently uphold, and it is indeed the case."
When the People Power Party asked, "Was yesterday's Supreme Court ruling wrong?" Chief Justice Cheon replied, "Everything we wanted to say is fully reflected in both the majority and minority opinions."
Regarding the question of whether the Supreme Court's ruling amounts to a judicial coup, Chief Justice Cheon answered, "Everything we wanted to say is fully reflected in both the majority and minority opinions," and added, "It cannot be considered a coup."
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