Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said the party would move step by step on impeachment calls raised within its ranks over Chief Justice Jo Hee-de's refusal to renominate a Supreme Court justice candidate, stressing that "the process of gaining the public's understanding, of explaining and persuading, is also very important, so we will follow those steps one by one."
Kim made the remarks on the 23rd on "Min-ti 07," a program on the Democratic Party's official YouTube channel, noting that "there are many who say we should move to impeach right away."
"It is unprecedented for a chief justice to disregard the Constitution and the law like this and play at a power struggle with the president," he said. "This is truly an unheard-of event." He added: "This is the isolated, erratic act of the last holdout of an insurrection force that has already been put down, and it can only be cleaned up." He said that was what he had meant by "putting out the embers."
On how the party would respond, Kim said, "There could be various forms of questioning in the National Assembly, and there could be a parliamentary audit of government agencies." He added, "Depending on the case, if there are problems, legal action of some kind is possible, and a special counsel is possible as well. There are many procedures, methods and processes available, so we will respond comprehensively and from multiple angles."
Kim also emphasized that the party would press ahead with its focus on livelihood issues. "Even if Chief Justice Jo takes such erratic action, the Democratic Party will deal with it sternly and firmly, but we will go forward without shaking our livelihood-centered course," he said. "We will resolve these regressive problems that are stirring up embers firmly and wisely."
Separately, Kim praised President Lee's keynote address to the U.N. General Assembly the same day as "a message organized very strategically." He said it "contained three visions — a global AI-powered basic welfare society, a green transformation and solidarity on global energy supply chains — and also covered a range of issues, including solutions for the Strait of Hormuz and a longer-term strategy for becoming a leading AI nation and building AI partnerships."
