"The Public Is Watching Closely, Careful Approach Needed"
Emphasizes Introduction of Crime of Legal Distortion and Judicial Petition System
Closed-Door General Assembly to Discuss Judicial Reform and More
On October 26, Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, urged individual lawmakers to refrain from making unexpected statements regarding real estate policy. Regarding issues such as judicial reform, the Democratic Party has decided to hold a separate, closed-door caucus meeting for discussion.
At the caucus meeting held before the plenary session that day, Leader Jeong stated, "Since the government is responsible for sensitive economic policies such as real estate policy, I believe the party's role is to take a step back and provide necessary institutional support in a low-key manner."
He continued, "In particular, since real estate policies related to the housing market are extremely sensitive and the public is closely watching, I ask that individual lawmakers refrain as much as possible from making unexpected remarks. I believe it is important to approach the public with care and warmth." This is interpreted as an instruction to refrain from commenting, in light of the confusion caused within the party by calls for the easing or abolition of the reconstruction excess profit recovery system.
At the caucus meeting, Leader Jeong also emphasized the need to introduce the 'trial petition' system and the 'crime of legal distortion.' He said, "When it comes to the crime of legal distortion, if a prosecutor manipulates a case by making something that does not exist appear to exist, or vice versa, resulting in harm, prosecutors are not held accountable. The same goes for judges," he noted. He added, "If there has been judicial harm due to improper procedures or the application of incorrect laws, I believe this lack of accountability needs to be addressed."
Regarding the trial petition system, he said, "Courts can make mistakes, and as we saw in the case of the Inhyeokdang incident, there can also be malicious cases. All laws are under the Constitution, so I believe it is time to have a serious discussion about these issues."
In this regard, the Democratic Party has decided to hold a separate discussion on judicial reform bills and the law to eradicate false information, with the aim of forming a unified party stance. Moon Geumjoo, the party's chief spokesperson for the floor, introduced, "Leader Jeong suggested that instead of a public debate, we should gather opinions through a closed-door discussion at a separate time, so that the party can move forward as one team with one voice."
Meanwhile, regarding the parliamentary audit, he appeared conscious of criticism that it was being used to produce promotional videos rather than for its original purpose, saying, "I am watching everyone do their best in the audit through YouTube playback programs. I want to praise everyone for their efforts."
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