"Ruling Party's Media Reform Bill Is an Attempt to Silence the Entire Nation"
"Meeting with Yoon Was Fulfilling a Promise Made During the Party Convention"
On October 20, People Power Party leader Jang Donghyuk strongly criticized the judicial reform bill being promoted by the Democratic Party of Korea, including the increase in the number of Supreme Court justices, saying, "This is an attempt to create a Supreme Court of, by, and for Lee Jaemyung."
At a press conference held at the National Assembly that day, Jang stated, "Under the pretense of judicial reform, the Democratic Party is shaking the very foundation of the rule of law."
Previously, Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheongrae held a press conference and announced a judicial reform bill to increase the number of Supreme Court justices from 14 to 26. The bill also includes expanding the Supreme Court Justice Recommendation Committee and improving the judicial evaluation system to reduce the powers of the Chief Justice. In addition, the introduction of a retrial petition system, which would effectively create a four-tier court system, will be considered after public discussion.
Regarding the increase in Supreme Court justices, Jang argued, "This is an attempt to increase the regime's Red Guards to permanently bury President Lee Jaemyung's trials," and added, "Diversifying the recommendation committee is essentially a declaration that the government will appoint Supreme Court justices tailored to the preferences of the regime's core supporters, under the guise of public participation." He insisted that discussions on increasing the number of justices for the sake of expediting case processing should be led by the judiciary or external experts to safeguard judicial independence.
Jang characterized the judicial evaluation system as a court-monitoring system. He said, "Before a final Supreme Court ruling, they are setting up the pretense of the public’s right to know, but in reality, it is an attempt to conduct trials by public opinion," and criticized, "The retrial petition system is, in short, a judicial coup with zero independence, where the regime will determine the outcome of trials."
Jang also dismissed the media reform bill announced by the Democratic Party's Special Committee on Media Reform, calling it "an attempt to silence the entire nation." The committee proposed a bill that would require compensation of up to five times the damages for the malicious distribution of illegal or false information, and impose a fine of up to 1 billion won for the malicious and repeated dissemination of information already determined by the court to be illegal or false.
Jang pointed out, "The special committee discussed the criteria for false information, but they are extremely subjective," and added, "Ultimately, this is an attempt to completely silence right-wing media, YouTube channels, and panelists, and prevent any discussion about the recent controversy involving Director Kim Hyeonji."
Meanwhile, regarding his visit with former President Yoon Sukyeol, Jang commented, "I kept the promise I made during the party convention and showed basic human courtesy to a former president," and added, "For politicians, trust and keeping promises are a matter of life and death." Regarding the criticism within the party, he said, "I understand that different opinions also come from a place of concern for the party, and I will pay close attention." However, he refrained from commenting on the details of the conversation or any plans for additional visits.
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