The Democratic Party of Korea decided on the 4th to temporarily suspend the impeachment motion against Chief Justice Cho Hee-daee regarding the Supreme Court's ruling that overturned the guilty verdict in the election law violation case of candidate Lee Jae-myung. They also demanded a rescheduling of the hearing for Lee's case, which is scheduled for the 15th. If the hearing date does not change, they will review their strategy going forward.
The Democratic Party stated that it made this decision after holding an emergency parliamentary meeting from 4 p.m. for about three hours, as reported by floor spokesman Noh Jong-myeon.
Earlier, within the party, there had been arguments led by first-term lawmakers to impeach Chief Justice Cho and the justices. The Democratic Party is defining the Supreme Court's unusually rapid judgment on Lee's case as a 'judicial coup.'
Spokesman Noh noted, "The decision to push for the impeachment of Chief Justice Cho today has been suspended," and added that he was informed there was considerable support for this action but it was decided not to proceed with the voting process.
With less than a month until the presidential election, there seems to be a judgment that pushing for the impeachment of the Supreme Court Chief Justice is not an appropriate election strategy. Spokesman Noh explained, "There were quite a few lawmakers who suggested that a process to inform the public about this issue is necessary. Some also expressed a cautious viewpoint, saying, 'One should not resort to impeachment as a last resort until a knife is at one's throat.'
However, he said, "Most lawmakers have concluded that the Chief Justice's actions are unconstitutional and unlawful," adding that "there are various reasons for criticism of political interference, such as violations of political neutrality as a public official, infringement on the public's right to vote, and breaching internal rules of the Supreme Court that are difficult for the Court to deny."
During the parliamentary meeting that day, the majority reportedly expressed that the procedures of the high court, which are set to begin on the 15th, should be delayed as much as possible. Spokesman Noh stated, "We will demand a change to the hearing schedule of the high court's ruling, which is scheduled for the 15th," and indicated that they would consider their strategy based on whether this demand is accepted.
He said, "Most lawmakers mentioned the 15th high court date as an important turning point," and added that "there were also numerous opinions stating that a ruling from the high court should be avoided." He continued, "If such conditions are not created, there was also a suggestion that we need to take action," stating that some voices called for proactive impeachment.
They also discussed responses through legislative action. Earlier, lawmaker Kim Yong-min proposed an amendment to stop criminal proceedings upon presidential election. Spokesman Noh reported that "it was decided to review whether to process the proposed bills."
Additionally, if a disqualification ruling is made, there is a possibility of overinterpretation that it could lead to the deprivation of candidacy rights due to regulations regarding the election or even render the election null and void. Therefore, they stated they would consider legislation to supplement this aspect and legislation to increase the number of justices.
Regarding the timing of legislative proposals such as the amendment to the criminal procedure law, they stated, "It is not a schedule that considers passing before the presidential election," and added, "The party leadership will make judgments on whether to push it under the party's name, whether to pass it through the Legal Affairs Committee before the election, or whether to only pass it through the relevant standing committee."