Nine Former Presidents Issue Statement:
"Stop Undermining the Judiciary"
Nine former presidents of the Korean Bar Association issued a statement urging the Democratic Party of Korea to halt its efforts to impeach Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, as well as its push for a special prosecutor law and a parliamentary hearing.
In their statement, the nine former presidents of the Korean Bar Association said, "The Supreme Court merely handled the election law case expeditiously," and added, "If this is unilaterally labeled as political intervention and the Chief Justice is held responsible, the independence of the judiciary will be threatened." They further stated, "Judges will not be able to adjudicate independently according to the law and their conscience, and the rule of law will be seriously undermined." The former presidents called on the Democratic Party of Korea to "stop undermining the judiciary, which threatens the separation of powers."
This statement was signed by Park Seungdae, the 35th president of the Korean Bar Association; Ham Jungho, the 39th; Jung Jaeheon, the 41st; Chun Kiheung, the 43rd; Shin Youngmoo, the 46th; Ha Changwoo, the 48th; Kim Hyun, the 49th; Lee Jongyeop, the 51st; and Kim Younghoon, the 52nd former president.
Previously, the Democratic Party of Korea defined the Supreme Court's swift conclusion of the appeal trial in the election law violation case involving Lee Jaemyung, the party's presidential candidate, as an act of political intervention by the judiciary. The party also announced plans to pursue a parliamentary hearing and a special prosecutor regarding Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae. In addition, the party intends to file a complaint with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials against Chief Justice Cho on charges of abuse of authority.
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