Broadcaster Hwang Hyunhee: "Whenever Chu Mi-ae Gets Involved, People Become Stars or Even Presidents"

"Cho Hee-dae Confirmation Hearing Is an Overreach"

As a confirmation hearing for Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae is being held under the leadership of hardline lawmakers from the ruling party, including Chu Mi-ae, Chairperson of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, comedian-turned-broadcaster Hwang Hyunhee has described the move as "excessive."

Comedian-turned-broadcaster Hwang Hyunhee, Chu Mi-ae, Chairperson of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee. YouTube video capture, Photo by Kim Hyunmin

On a live broadcast of the YouTube channel "Beyond Yeouido" on the 24th, Hwang said, "I saw an article about the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, titled 'Even the Party Leader Couldn't Stop Chu Mi-ae.' There are also evaluations that Chairperson Chu is overreaching." He continued, "In the past, whenever Chairperson Chu got involved in something, the other party would become a huge issue and even turn into a star. In some cases, someone even became president."

In response, Park Seongtae, Director of the Institute for People and Society, commented, "Some even refer to Chairperson Chu as the 'mother of conservatives.' In fact, Chairperson Chu has never been restrained by anyone. During the Cho Kuk incident, as far as I know, then-President Moon Jae-in suggested that both Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol and Justice Minister Chu Mi-ae step down to resolve the issue, but she refused."

He added, "At that time, Chairperson Chu disappeared for two days. I heard from multiple sources that even the (presidential) chief of staff tried to contact her, but she did not respond."

Director Park pointed out, "Chairperson Chu is not the type to listen to others. Also, she has served in the National Assembly much longer than the current party leader. It's a situation where no one can control her."

Meanwhile, on the 22nd, the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, led by the Democratic Party of Korea, passed a plan to hold an "emergency hearing on suspicions of Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's involvement in the presidential election" and decided on the attendance of relevant witnesses and references at a full committee meeting. It is known that Chairperson Chu and Democratic Party committee members took the initiative to pass the emergency hearing on suspicions of Chief Justice Cho's involvement in the presidential election without prior consultation with the party and floor leadership.

On the 24th, Chairperson Chu wrote on Facebook, "The '9-day operation by Cho Hee-dae' to judicially remove Lee Jae-myung, whom Yoon Seok-yeol targeted for elimination after his failed coup, must be revealed. It was Chief Justice Cho who betrayed the separation of powers and stepped into politics. He is obligated to appear before the National Assembly, the representative body."

This move is also facing criticism within the Democratic Party. On the 25th, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Youngjin said on MBC Radio's "Kim Jongbae's Focus" program, "I think Chairperson Chu may have acted rashly. A confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court Chief Justice is an extremely important matter, and it would have been better if it had been conducted with full consultation with the party leadership and proper preparatory procedures, ensuring mutual understanding and agreement on its necessity."