Attempt to Summon Judiciary to Audit "Undermines Fairness"
"See the Chief Justice at the Court," Lee Fires Back
Lee Junseok, leader of the Reform New Party, strongly criticized the Democratic Party of Korea’s plan to select witnesses for the National Assembly audit, arguing that Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae is not someone who should be called to testify.
Reform New Party leader Lee Junseok is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
On October 10, Lee stated on his Facebook page, "Kim Hyunji is someone who should obviously appear, but Cho Hee-dae should not be summoned," raising concerns about the direction of witness selection for the audit. He also pointed out, "The Democratic Party of Korea is now attempting to turn the audit into a hollow formality."
Lee remarked, "If the government and the ruling party want to see Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae in person, they should go to the court, not the National Assembly," adding, "If President Lee Jaemyung makes the political decision to resume his trial, the government and the ruling party will be able to see and talk to Chief Justice Cho every week, just as they wish," in a sarcastic tone.
He also emphasized that treating judges as if they are subject to oversight by the executive branch undermines judicial independence. He said, "Unless it concerns administrative matters, it is common sense not to summon judges to the audit," adding, "This is the minimum principle to safeguard the fairness of the judiciary." He continued, "A normal ruling party should be concerned about the possibility of being misunderstood as exerting pressure on trials, but the Democratic Party of Korea is instead actively attempting to harass the judiciary."
Regarding the controversy over the presidential office’s special activity funds, Lee argued that the Democratic Party of Korea is avoiding summoning those who actually need to appear. He said, "The Lee Jaemyung administration is facing allegations of improper use of special activity funds less than six months into its term," and pointed out, "To determine the appropriateness of this, the secretary-general, who manages the finances of the presidential office, should attend the audit."
He further criticized, "The Democratic Party of Korea is blocking the secretary-general, a key position who has appeared for 30 years, citing concerns about politicization, yet seeks to summon the Supreme Court Chief Justice, a symbol of the separation of powers, as a witness. This is behavior that goes against common sense and the spirit of the Constitution."
Lee compared the audit to a shareholders’ meeting where the company tries hard to avoid questions, warning, "The people are the shareholders of the Republic of Korea, and a government that gives insincere answers will only foster distrust that it is hiding something."
He concluded, "Even after the imposition of martial law, the Democratic Party of Korea continues to reject transparency in power," and added, "Hiding key personnel and breaking a tradition maintained for 30 years immediately after taking office is tantamount to admitting that there is something to hide."
With the first National Assembly audit under the Lee Jaemyung administration set to begin on October 13, whether Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae will appear has emerged as the biggest point of contention.
While previous Supreme Court Chief Justices have customarily left after delivering brief remarks, the Democratic Party of Korea has announced that it will not allow such an early departure this time. The party is expected to demand that Chief Justice Cho take the witness oath and clarify suspicions regarding alleged interference in the presidential election.
It is known that the judiciary is also deliberating internally on whether Chief Justice Cho will attend in person.
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