Jeong Cheongrae: "Judicial Reform to Be Rushed After Budget Session... We Must Squeeze Out the Pus"

Mention of Increasing Supreme Court Justices and Law Distortion Offense
Prosecutors’ Collective Protest Over Daejang-dong Appeal Withdrawal
Jeong: "Public Outrage... Clear Undermining of Constitutional Order"

Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, emphasized on November 13 that once the review of the 2026 budget is completed, the party will swiftly push forward its judicial reform bills, including increasing the number of Supreme Court justices, introducing the right to file a retrial petition, and enacting a law penalizing the distortion of the law.

At the party meeting held at the National Assembly that afternoon, Jeong stated, "Once the budget session is over, we need to push through judicial reforms such as increasing the number of Supreme Court justices, enacting the law against distortion of the law, and introducing the right to file a retrial petition like a storm and complete them with lightning speed," adding, "We must squeeze out the pus and excise the infected area."

After completing the comprehensive policy inquiry and the review of economic and non-economic ministries, the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts will convene the Budget Adjustment Subcommittee starting November 17 to review the proposed increases and decreases for next year's budget. The committee will then hold a plenary session to approve the 2026 budget. The legal deadline for the National Assembly to pass the new year’s budget bill is December 2.

Previously, the Democratic Party announced plans to increase the number of Supreme Court justices by four each year for four years, introduce a law penalizing prosecutors and judges for manipulation or distortion during investigations and indictments, and implement the retrial petition system, which has sparked debate over a de facto four-instance trial system. However, Jeong did not mention the suspension of trial bill, which was withdrawn following criticism from the presidential office.

Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (left), and Kim Byunggi, floor leader, are holding signs that read "Condemn Political Prosecutors" and shouting slogans at the party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 13th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Regarding the prosecutors who collectively protested the decision not to appeal the Daejang-dong case, Jeong said, "The collective defiance of the prosecutors is currently causing outrage among many citizens. I believe this is a clear act of undermining the constitutional order," and stressed, "The Minister of Justice should utilize all possible legal means, including dismissal from positions, disciplinary action, and personnel measures, and I urge that these actions be taken."

He continued, "We must also break the practice where such individuals, after loudly posing as crusaders of justice, resign, start their own law practices, and make huge profits by leveraging their previous positions. We need to revise the Prosecutors’ Disciplinary Act, which Floor Leader Kim Byunggi has been strongly advocating, so that prosecutors can be punished just like any other public official. I believe we must urgently amend this law. Whether it is a parliamentary investigation, a hearing, or a special prosecutor, we must do everything within our power," he emphasized.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.