Ruling Party to Submit 'Insurrection Court Bill'... Cho Hee-dae Says "I Will Review and Respond"

Ruling Party Pushes Ahead with Special Court Division Bill for Insurrection Cases
Seoul High Court Holds Judges' Meeting to Discuss Follow-up Measures on Supreme Court Regulations

As the ruling party announced plans to bring the bill for establishing a special court division for insurrection cases to a plenary session of the National Assembly on the 22nd, Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae expressed a cautious stance, stating, "I will review it."

Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae is arriving at the Supreme Court in Seoul on the 22nd. Photo by Yonhap News

At around 9:07 a.m. that day, as he arrived at the Supreme Court building in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Chief Justice Cho responded in this way to questions from reporters regarding his position on the plan to bring the special court division bill to a plenary session.

When asked whether the Supreme Court would revise its regulations on the establishment of special court divisions for insurrection and treason cases if the Democratic Party's proposal passes the National Assembly, he did not respond and proceeded into the building.

The Democratic Party announced that it would convene a plenary session that day to bring forward the bill to establish a special court division dedicated to handling the insurrection case involving former President Yoon Suk-yeol, among others.

The Supreme Court, citing constitutional concerns regarding the Democratic Party's proposed bill, announced on the 18th that it would enact its own regulations for the establishment of special court divisions for insurrection and treason cases, based on the principle of random assignment of judges. However, the Democratic Party remains committed to pushing the bill forward.

It is reported that the revised bill to be submitted to the plenary session will include a plan to appoint judges for the special court division through a statutory body within the Supreme Court, instead of forming a judge recommendation committee.

Meanwhile, the Seoul High Court, which will handle appeals for insurrection cases, will hold a closed plenary meeting of all judges at 6:15 p.m. that day to discuss follow-up measures in accordance with the Supreme Court's regulations. They will consider measures such as increasing the number of criminal divisions to 16 and designating two or three of them as special court divisions.