Nine former presidents of the Korean Bar Association issued a joint statement urging the Democratic Party of Korea to "stop the judiciary shake-up that threatens the principle of separation of powers."
On the 8th, attorneys Park Seung-seo, Ham Jeong-ho, Jeong Jae-heon, Cheon Gi-heung, Shin Young-mu, Ha Chang-woo, Kim Hyun, Lee Jong-yeop, and Kim Young-hoon, who previously served as presidents of the Korean Bar Association, stated in their joint statement, "The Democratic Party of Korea should halt the special prosecutor law, the hearings, and the impeachment push against Chief Justice Cho Hee-daee."
They noted, "The Supreme Court has only handled the election law case swiftly according to the law, so it should not be concluded as a political intervention." They further stated, "If individual cases hold the Chief Justice accountable, the independence of the judiciary will be threatened, and judges will not be able to conduct trials independently and with peace of mind according to the law and their conscience." They added, "If the court is swayed by external power and public opinion, justice cannot prevail, and the judiciary will be oppressed by politics, severely undermining the rule of law."
The nine former presidents of the Korean Bar Association remarked, "Impeachment of the Chief Justice, Supreme Court Justices, and judges should not be allowed," adding, "If outsiders scrutinize the trial process and the deliberation process, judges will not be able to conduct trials with confidence and conviction."
The Supreme Court en banc overturned the acquittal by the appellate court in the case of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, regarding violations of the Public Official Election Act, and sent the case back to the Seoul High Court on the 1st. Following this, the Democratic Party of Korea raised concerns about the unusually quick handling and ruling by Chief Justice Cho Hee-daee on the case. They indicated plans to pursue impeachment against Chief Justice Cho and the three judges of the appellate court that overturned the ruling. They also decided to hold a hearing for Chief Justice Cho on the 14th. The Democratic Party of Korea announced it will propose the special prosecutor law regarding Chief Justice Cho.