All Supreme Court Justices Expected to Be Absent
Jung Cheongrae: "There Is Strong Public Support for a Parliamentary Investigation and Special Prosecutor"
The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on May 14, initiated by the Democratic Party and the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, to investigate allegations of Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Heedai and others intervening in the presidential election.
The hearing will address suspicions of judicial power abuse and election intervention that arose during the Supreme Court's decision to remand the case of Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jaemyung's violation of the Public Official Election Act to the Seoul High Court.
Chief Justice Cho Heedai is preparing for the Supreme Court trial to deliver a ruling on the appeal of Lee Jaemyung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, regarding the violation of the Public Official Election Act at the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of May 1, 2025. Photo by Joint Press Corps
The Democratic Party has previously condemned the Supreme Court's decision to remand Lee's case with a guilty verdict as a "judicial coup trampling on the sovereignty of the people," and called for Chief Justice Cho's resignation. Some lawmakers have submitted a special prosecutor bill to investigate judicial abuse by Chief Justice Cho and others, while the Cho Kuk Innovation Party has publicly released an impeachment motion against Chief Justice Cho and ten Supreme Court justices.
As witnesses for the hearing, twelve Supreme Court justices involved in the ruling, the Supreme Court's chief and senior judicial researchers, the chief justice's chief secretary, and the head of the Court Administration Office's Judicial Informatization Division were all listed, but all submitted statements of non-attendance. However, Seo Seokho, an attorney known to be a college classmate and acquaintance of former President Yoon Sukyeol, is expected to attend the hearing as a witness and address various allegations.
As references, the committee has selected Seo Bohak, a professor at Kyung Hee University Law School, Lee Joonil, a professor at Korea University Law School, and Cho Youngjun, an attorney who filed a related constitutional complaint.
Jung Cheongrae, the Democratic Party lawmaker and chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, wrote on Facebook, "The Supreme Court justices say they will not attend. This is why there is strong public support for a parliamentary investigation or a special prosecutor," adding, "Before tomorrow's hearing, we will process judicial reform bills such as the special prosecutor bill, the Court Organization Act, and the Constitutional Court Act according to legal procedures."
Seo Youngkyo, another committee member from the Democratic Party, also wrote on Facebook, "Chief Justice Cho Heedai has been at the forefront of politicizing the Supreme Court," urging, "If he has nothing to hide, he should not hide behind a statement of non-attendance but appear at the hearing and reveal the facts before the people."
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