Acting Chief Justice Moon Kyung-bae said on the 17th, “Without tolerance and restraint, democracy cannot develop.” He added, “The 12·3 state of emergency exceeded tolerance and restraint, according to the Constitutional Court's judgment.”
On the same day, Acting Chief Justice Moon spoke at a special lecture held for students at Inha University Law School. Regarding the impeachment trial of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, he stated, “Whether it exceeded or did not exceed tolerance and restraint (is the criterion for judgment),” adding, “The (opposition party's) impeachment motion did not cross that line, while the state of emergency did, according to the Constitutional Court's judgment.”
Acting Chief Justice Moon further stated, “They claim there are contradictions in the impeachment ruling, but I think there are none.” He continued, “The rights applicable to the opposition should also apply to the ruling party, and the restraint recognized for the ruling party should also be acknowledged for the opposition; that is integration.” He asked, “If the principles applied to me are different from those applied to you, how can there be integration?”
Acting Chief Justice Moon remarked, “Tolerance is respect for those with differing opinions, and restraint is something powerful people use appropriately,” asserting, “Without tolerance and restraint, democracy cannot develop.” He then urged, “Let’s try to maintain that integration. That is the title of the impeachment ruling,” adding, “That’s why it took so much time.”
Additionally, in response to a student's question, “What direction do you think our society, which has experienced division and chaos in recent months, should take to grow?”, Acting Chief Justice Moon answered, “Tolerance and restraint.” He went on to say, “The impeachment motion is the authority of the opposition party, and if I say that is not a problem, then isn’t the state of emergency the president’s authority? But we cannot find an answer that way.”
Acting Chief Justice Moon also delivered a lecture on the theme ’The path of a lawyer: soul (魂), creativity (創), communication (通)’ on the same day.
He stated that one should constantly think about ‘Why did I want to become a lawyer?’ regarding the soul (魂). Creativity (創) was defined as ‘original and appropriate creativity.’ He described communication (通) as clearing away obstacles and flowing like water. Acting Chief Justice Moon highlighted the importance of a listening attitude and expressing one’s intentions for this purpose.
Meanwhile, Acting Chief Justice Moon is set to retire on the 18th. The Constitutional Court will hold a retirement ceremony for Acting Chief Justice Moon and Justice Lee Mi-sun tomorrow morning in the main auditorium.