Why the Presidential Office Held Two Briefings on Calls from the Ruling Party for Chief Justice Cho Heedae's Resignation

"No specific position... The National Assembly is an elected authority, and if there is a demand of the times, it should be reconsidered"
To the judiciary: "Deliberate while observing legislative discussions... The government respects the National Assembly's decisions"
After reports of 'agreement' with calls for the Chief Justice's resignation, another briefing follows... "A misunderstanding and a misreport"

On September 15, the Office of the President emphasized twice during briefings that it "fundamentally agrees, in principle, that if there is a demand from the times or from the public, those who have been appointed to positions of authority should reflect on the plausibility and reasons for such demands." This is interpreted as suggesting that Chief Justice Cho Heedae should carefully consider the ongoing calls for his resignation.

Yonhap News Agency

Kang Yoojung, spokesperson for the Office of the President, was asked during the first briefing of the day about the office's position regarding the Facebook remarks made by Choo Mi-ae, Chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, on the previous day (September 14). Kang responded, "We do not have a specific position yet, but if the National Assembly seeks to reflect the spirit of the Constitution and the will of the people through careful deliberation and discussion, it can be considered the foremost elected authority of the people." Previously, Chair Choo had stated, "How can you claim to defend judicial independence under the most democratic administration, after remaining silent during the era of prosecutorial dictatorship?" She added, "For the sake of judicial independence, Chief Justice Cho should step down first."

Regarding the judiciary's repeated rebuttals to ongoing discussions in the ruling party about increasing the number of Supreme Court justices or establishing a special tribunal for insurrection, the spokesperson reiterated President Lee Jaemyung's remarks from his 100th-day press conference. The spokesperson emphasized that the judiciary should carefully consider the legislative process in the National Assembly, which directly receives delegated sovereignty. Kang also stressed that the judiciary should not begin by doubting the legislature's ability for self-regulation and internal consensus.

Kang stated, "While there is separation of powers, the fundamental spirit of the Constitution, in terms of popular sovereignty, is that there should be respect for sufficient deliberation by the legislature." She added, "Those appointed to authority in the judiciary through indirect appointment should fully observe the discussions taking place in the legislature." Furthermore, Kang said, "Even if a law is enacted or another body is established to swiftly resolve the insurrection, that too is a matter for the National Assembly to deliberate and discuss, and the government has no choice but to respect the final decision of the National Assembly."

Later that day, following a series of reports suggesting that the Office of the President agreed with calls for Chief Justice Cho's resignation based on the first briefing, Kang held another briefing about an hour and twenty minutes later to clarify the office's position. Kang explained, "It was an 'agreement in principle' regarding the separation of powers and elected authority," and added, "Our answer to the question was that there is no specific opinion yet regarding the calls for Chief Justice Cho's resignation. If we were to express a position, it would be in terms of reflecting on the matter, which is why I said there is fundamental agreement in principle."

Kang particularly emphasized, "What I reiterated was in reference to what President Lee said, and to say that we fundamentally agree with this matter is a misunderstanding and a misreport. It is taking one part of the statement out of context."