Office of the President: "Basically Agrees in Principle on Need to Reconsider Reasons for Calls for Chief Justice's Resignation"

On September 14, National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chairperson Choo Mi-ae:
"It is right for him to step down first for the sake of judicial independence"
Urges the judiciary to "watch the legislature's discussions... Respect

The Office of the President stated that it "basically agrees in principle" with the need to reconsider the reasons and plausibility behind the ongoing calls from the ruling party for Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Heedae to resign.

Yonhap News

On September 15, Kang Yoojung, spokesperson for the Office of the President, held a briefing at the Yongsan presidential office. When asked about National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chairperson Choo Mi-ae's public demand the previous day for the Supreme Court Chief Justice to step down, Kang responded, "If the National Assembly seeks to reflect the spirit of the Constitution and the will of the people through deliberation and discussion, the most important thing is the authority of elected power." She added, "If there are demands from the times and from the public, it is necessary to reconsider the plausibility and reasons for such calls, even for those with appointed authority. In that respect, we agree in principle."

Previously, on September 14, Chairperson Choo criticized Chief Justice Cho, saying, "How can you claim judicial independence under the most democratic administration, when you remained silent during the era of prosecutorial dictatorship?" She further pointed out, "You invoke the protection of the Constitution as an excuse to call for judicial independence, but in reality, you are protecting those convicted of insurrection by delaying their trials."

Chairperson Choo went on to say, "Even after the insurrection, you emboldened the forces behind it by canceling the detention of those convicted of insurrection." She added, "The responsibility lies with Chief Justice Cho, and for the sake of judicial independence, it is only right that he steps down first."