Criticism of "Rushed" Cho Hee-dae Confirmation Hearing
Calls for Restructuring of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee
Assemblyman Kim Youngjin of the Democratic Party of Korea, considered an original pro-Lee Jae-myung figure, on October 2 mentioned the responsibility of the party leadership and Choo Mi-ae, Chairwoman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, in relation to the decline in President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating. He also criticized the need for a "restructuring" of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, which has become the main battleground between the ruling and opposition parties.
In an interview with YTN Radio on this day, Assemblyman Kim stated, "According to a survey conducted by Realmeter at the request of Energy Economy News from September 22 to 26, using an automated wireless phone response method with 2,527 voters aged 18 or older nationwide, President Lee's approval rating came out at 52 percent, and the party's approval rating has hit its lowest since the change of government." He criticized, "The Democratic Party leadership, as well as the chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee who conducted the recent Cho Hee-dae confirmation hearing, and many others need to reflect on this issue."
He pointed out, "President Lee has not done anything particularly wrong, yet his approval rating is declining. As a ruling party lawmaker, I believe I need to reflect and reconsider the situation." This is a criticism that the series of hardline actions by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the party leadership, such as judicial reform, have triggered the defection of President Lee's support base.
On the 30th, during the plenary session of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held at the National Assembly, content related to the remarks of Cheon Dae-yeop, head of the Court Administration Office, appeared on the monitor during a question from Park Eun-jung, a member of the Party for Justice Innovation. September 30, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyun-min
Assemblyman Kim also criticized the Cho Hee-dae confirmation hearing, which was pushed through by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee without Cho's attendance. He said, "There was already a confirmation hearing for Chief Justice Cho in May," and pointed out, "Holding two hearings where neither Chief Justice Cho nor the Supreme Court justices attend, when there is no new information, is not appropriate." Regarding the alleged meeting among Chief Justice Cho, former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, and others, he remarked, "The details of the meeting were unclear, so proceeding based on that was too hasty." He added, "As the ruling party, we should accumulate information through discussions with the party leadership and the floor leadership, and only then hold a hearing if necessary. In the end, it became a Cho Hee-dae hearing without Cho Hee-dae, which was not a good look."
However, regarding Chief Justice Cho, he said, "There needs to be an explanation to the public as to why such a hasty decision was made in a way that anyone could interpret as political involvement in the presidential election process," and stated, "I believe Chief Justice Cho should express his opinion quickly."
Regarding the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, he also said, "I strongly believe that restructuring is necessary." Assemblyman Kim added, "The operations of the committee are too wasteful, and I do not think they are appropriate in the eyes of the public. Whether ruling or opposition, the committee's composition and operations should be improved based on various opinions, so that the Legislation and Judiciary Committee no longer appears as if it is some kind of model for the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. That is not desirable."
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