Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae: "Judges Speak Through Rulings... No Involvement in Presidential Election Allegations"

President Lee’s Remand Ruling
“Regretful That There Is Distrust Over the Prompt Deliberation and Ruling”

On the 13th, the National Assembly held a parliamentary audit of the Supreme Court and others at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, attended by Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae and others.

On the 13th, Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae stated during the Supreme Court's National Assembly inspection that "judges speak through their rulings" in relation to the Supreme Court en banc decision on President Lee Jaemyung's violation of the Public Official Election Act.

Before the conclusion of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's Supreme Court inspection held at the National Assembly, Chief Justice Cho remarked in his closing statement, "This case was handled by the en banc panel, in which all 12 Supreme Court justices, including myself, participated in the deliberation. The essence of the judgments discussed and deliberated by the en banc panel is fully reflected in the written ruling."

He continued, "Only the contents disclosed in the written ruling have public effect, and even as Chief Justice, I am merely one of the en banc members, so I cannot express opinions by any means other than the ruling itself. I hope that the detailed content provided in the ruling, the judicial administrative responses to the written questions submitted in advance, and the answers from the Chief Judge of the Court Administration Office regarding the general structure of Supreme Court deliberations have helped to resolve at least some of the doubts held by the public and committee members regarding this case."

Chief Justice Cho also reiterated that he has never had any private meetings or conversations with individuals mentioned in the so-called "presidential election intervention allegations." He said, "Regarding the suspicions raised about my personal conduct, I have already clarified through the Court Administration Office spokesperson that these claims are entirely untrue. In the same vein, I have never had any private meetings or held any conversations or discussions about the case with the individuals mentioned in some committee members' questions," he emphasized.

Regarding the Supreme Court's remand decision in President Lee's election law case, he said, "It is regrettable that there seems to be distrust regarding the prompt deliberation and the background of the ruling. Personally, I am eager to dispel such distrust."

On the issue of judicial ethics, he stated, "I fully agree with the view that judges must adhere to the Judicial Code of Ethics and conduct themselves prudently, not only in court but also in daily life. Going forward, I will strive to foster an atmosphere within the judiciary that encourages judges to internalize and practice judicial ethics through all possible means, including judicial training, and to ensure that there is no neglect in preventing actions contrary to judicial ethics."

Chief Justice Cho, who attended the inspection, had planned to leave after offering only a greeting as is customary, but remained for about an hour and a half at the request of Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chairperson Choo Mi-ae, who asked him to stay and answer questions. He maintained silence and faced forward during questions from some Democratic Party lawmakers regarding the presidential election intervention allegations.

The Legislation and Judiciary Committee members plan to conduct a second inspection of the Supreme Court in the form of an on-site verification visit on the 15th.