Concerns Raised Over Judges With Specific Political Leanings Exploiting the Meeting
The People Power Party urged that the upcoming National Judges' Representative Meeting, which is being convened to address controversies surrounding the judiciary, including the verdict of Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jaemyung, "should serve as a moment for the judiciary to publicly pledge before the people that it can uphold its own independence."
The Committee for the Protection of Judicial Independence and Resistance Against Dictatorship, directly under presidential candidate Kim Moonsu, stated at a press conference at the National Assembly that "if this meeting is influenced by political calculations or external pressure, even the last vestiges of public trust in the judiciary will be lost."
At the extraordinary session of the National Judges' Representative Meeting scheduled for the 26th of this month, it is expected that a range of issues will be discussed. These include concerns that the Supreme Court's expedited review and ruling on candidate Lee's violation of the Public Official Election Act has raised doubts about political neutrality, as well as the Democratic Party's public demand for Chief Justice Cho Heedae's resignation and its push for various bills such as increasing the number of Supreme Court justices and introducing retrial petitions?actions that are being criticized as infringements on judicial independence.
Regarding the inclusion of agenda items such as criticism of the guilty verdict against candidate Lee at this meeting, the committee argued, "There are concerns that certain judges with specific political leanings are exploiting the meeting under the pretense of worries about judicial independence being undermined."
The committee further asserted, "Even during the process of convening the meeting, despite failing to meet the quorum and facing significant opposition, a few judges forced the meeting to be held. This fact is fueling controversy that the meeting lacks true representation and is being manipulated by a politically biased minority of judges."
After the press conference, lawmaker Na Kyungwon told reporters, "I hope that tomorrow's judges' meeting will serve as an opportunity to put an end to the Democratic Party's attempts to undermine the judiciary and its 'bulletproof dictatorship,' and that the public will come to understand that this election carries such significance."
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