60 Democratic Party Lawmakers Hold Press Conference in Front of Supreme Court
Express Outrage, Refer to "Judicial Coup"
Jin Sungjoon, Policy Committee Chair: "I Want to Shout 'Let's Impeach Them'"
On May 2, lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea visited the Supreme Court and strongly criticized the court's decision the previous day to remand the case of presidential candidate Lee Jaemyung for violation of the Public Official Election Act, labeling it a "judicial coup" and "interference in the presidential election." Some lawmakers escalated their offensive to the highest level by suggesting the possibility of impeachment against Supreme Court justices.
About 60 Democratic Party lawmakers held a press conference in front of the Supreme Court, holding signs reading "The people are outraged" and "Stop interfering in the presidential election," condemning the previous day's ruling.
Jeon Hyunhee, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, stated, "We strongly condemn the Supreme Court's unprecedented interference in the presidential election and this judicial coup," adding, "The Supreme Court, which pushed ahead with an unusually rapid trial in Lee's election law case, ultimately sided with the insurrectionist forces seeking to destroy Lee Jaemyung." Jeon further criticized, "Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae concluded the deliberations just two days after referring the case by his authority," and questioned, "Is it possible to read 60,000 pages of A4 documents in just two days?"
She continued, "This ruling can only be seen as a biased decision that copied and pasted the first trial verdict with a preconceived notion of 'destroying Lee Jaemyung,' without properly reviewing the case records." She added, "It is a truly appalling ruling in which the Supreme Court justices, who should be defending the people, have sided with Yoon Sukyeol, the ringleader of the insurrection who appointed them, rather than with the people." She emphasized, "This is a self-contradictory ruling that completely denies the principle of the prohibition of analogical interpretation and expansion by the court itself," and asserted, "It is the political prosecutors and the judicial cartel that are the real judicial risks in the Republic of Korea."
Regarding future measures, Jeon stated, "Even after the presidential election, whether the trial will be suspended under Article 84 of the Constitution, which grants criminal immunity, may be left to the judgment of the Supreme Court and others." She continued, "It is the overwhelming majority opinion in constitutional academia that the presidential immunity includes the suspension of criminal trials, and this is not a matter of debate." She emphasized, "We cannot entrust the fate of the country to a Supreme Court that has already lost public trust. The Democratic Party will ensure that the overwhelming majority opinion of constitutional scholars is clearly stipulated in the Criminal Procedure Act."
Jin Sungjoon, the Democratic Party's Policy Committee Chair, criticized the Supreme Court's decision to remand the Public Official Election Act case the previous day as a "sloppy trial and a hasty deliberation." He said, "I believe the insurrectionist forces are using judicial power to stage their final rebellion," adding, "The judiciary, using bizarre legal logic, quietly released Yoon Sukyeol, who had been detained by the people's struggle, and has now handed down a guilty verdict to Lee Jaemyung, a leading presidential candidate."
Jin further stated, "In fact, the Democratic Party was complacent. We thought that once the president was removed and the presidential election began, the people would make their choice and the courts, prosecutors, and the administration would all accept it. However, the judicial cartel was scheming behind the scenes, using their meager power." He raised the possibility of impeachment against the Supreme Court, saying, "We have called on the Supreme Court to wake up, but honestly, I want to shout, 'Let's impeach them.'" He added, "Through impeachment proceedings, we can at least suspend them from their duties. There is no reason to hesitate any longer."
Park Joomin, a Democratic Party lawmaker, raised procedural issues with the ruling, stating, "To review approximately 70,000 pages of records in nine days, one would have to read 287 pages per hour without sleep, 24 hours a day." He added, "This ruling completely overturned the 2020 en banc decision, the timing of the verdict, and the decision to broaden freedom of expression," questioning, "Was there not a strong intention from the beginning? Is this not a ruling with a strong predetermined intent?" He emphasized, "The Democratic Party will go full swing. We will use all the authority we have."
Lee Geontae, a Democratic Party lawmaker, analyzed the dissenting opinion in the Supreme Court's ruling, stating, "It is unprecedented in Supreme Court history for dissenting justices to publicly criticize the majority opinion." He continued, "Even if their views differ, the dissenting justices should at least be able to accept the majority opinion, but the ruling shows that the majority failed to secure even minimal acceptance from the dissenters." He also pointed out, "The 49-page dissenting opinion fought against the political ruling almost at the level of an independence movement," criticizing the ruling as "a reactionary decision that goes against precedent and recent trends in case law."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
