The conflict over the re-nomination of Supreme Court justices escalated sharply on the 28th after the Democratic Party of Korea unilaterally designated Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de as a witness for a parliamentary audit at a full meeting of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, over objections from the People Power Party. The ruling party mounted a full-court press, alleging that Jo flew into a rage upon receiving a request from the presidential office to re-nominate candidates and deliberately ignored it.
The committee approved Jo as a general witness for the audit at the meeting, led by the Democratic Party. Seo Young-kyo, the committee chair and a Democratic Party member, said the chief justice must personally answer for why the head of the National Court Administration called each of the Supreme Court justice nominees individually. She added that he should also be asked about the circumstances behind the emergency meeting convened on the day of the Dec. 3 martial law declaration.
People Power Party committee members walked out in protest, calling the move an attack on the judiciary. Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun said putting the head of the judiciary in the witness stand for questioning amounts to destroying the judiciary.
Despite the mounting pressure from the ruling bloc, Jo has shown no sign of backing down. Speaking to reporters on his way to work that day, he said the request itself came only as an instruction to re-nominate, and that he would convey anything necessary through his spokesperson going forward, including through the audit. Following convention, Jo plans to attend the audit to deliver opening remarks as the head of the institution and then leave. He is unlikely to appear as a witness.
The Democratic Party, meanwhile, is broadening the dispute over the selection of Supreme Court justices into a question about internal decision-making within the judiciary. Senior spokesperson Park Sung-joon said allegations have been raised that Jo flew into a rage and ignored the National Court Administration's view that the re-nomination request should be accepted, pressing for answers about the internal decision-making process. Noh Kyung-pil, the head of the National Court Administration, who appeared before the committee for questioning on current issues that day, rejected the allegation that Jo had refused the re-nomination recommendation. He said Jo never flew into a rage and that the National Court Administration had never reported any particular position to the chief justice.
Still, incensed ruling party lawmakers, led by members of the judiciary committee, have gone as far as raising the prospect of impeachment. Asked on a YouTube broadcast whether she believed there were sufficient grounds for impeachment, Seo said yes, citing the emergency meeting convened during the martial law episode, allegations that the duty of electoral neutrality was violated in the process of remanding President Lee Jae-myung's case, and the vacancy on the Supreme Court bench that has lasted more than 200 days. Within the party, however, impeachment is not being pushed to the forefront, given the possibility that the Constitutional Court would reject it.
The People Power Party countered that summoning the head of the judiciary to an audit infringes on judicial independence. Yoon said the nomination of Supreme Court justices is an exercise of constitutional authority that the National Assembly cannot interrogate, calling it an attack on the judiciary. Rep. Kim Tae-gyu argued that it was the president who created the unconstitutional situation, and that the aim was to pressure the chief justice into resigning.
Park Hyung-soo, the committee liaison, said the witness list was drawn up unilaterally without consultation between the ruling and opposition liaisons, describing it as intimidation of the head of the judiciary to save President Lee. Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, defended Jo, saying the chief justice is fighting against a lawless administration to protect the judiciary and the country.
