Constitutional Court to Begin Impeachment Trial of National Police Chief Jo Jiho on July 1

First Pretrial Hearing to Begin at 3 p.m. on July 1

Former National Police Agency Commissioner General Jo Jiho, who was indicted on charges of engaging in important duties related to the December 3 emergency martial law incident, is heading to the courtroom to attend the continuation of the first trial held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on March 31, 2025. Photo by Yoon Dongju

The Constitutional Court will officially begin the impeachment trial on July 1 to determine whether Jo Jiho, the National Police Agency Commissioner General appointed under the previous administration, will be removed from office.

On June 17, the Constitutional Court announced that it has referred Commissioner General Jo's impeachment case to pretrial proceedings and scheduled the first pretrial hearing for 3:00 p.m. on July 1.

The pretrial hearing is a procedure held before formal arguments, where both parties are called to organize the issues surrounding their claims and evidence and to establish a plan for the trial. While the pretrial hearing is open to the public, the parties are not required to attend. Justices Jeong Jeongmi and Cho Hanchang have been designated as the judges in charge of the pretrial proceedings.

Commissioner General Jo was impeached by the National Assembly on December 12 of last year for allegedly abusing his authority during the December 3 emergency martial law incident by blocking lawmakers' access to the National Assembly and infringing on their right to demand the lifting of martial law. This marks the first time a National Police Agency Commissioner General has been suspended from duty due to impeachment proceedings.

Commissioner General Jo was indicted and detained in January on charges of engaging in important duties related to the emergency martial law incident. Suffering from blood cancer, he has been standing trial without detention since the same month, after the court granted him bail under certain conditions, including a security deposit.