Cho Hee-dae Effectively Refuses to Appear as a Witness at the National Assembly Audit... Ruling and Opposition Parties Face Off in a Prelude to a "Judicial War"

[Financial News] As the National Assembly's annual audit of state affairs is set to begin on the 6th, the opening battle between the ruling and opposition parties is intensifying after Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae effectively signaled that he would not comply with the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly's request to appear as a witness. The Democratic Party of Korea stepped up its pressure on Cho, demanding that he "sit in the witness stand and answer directly before the people." The People Power Party focused on concerns over delays in investigations and confusion surrounding case transfers following the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office, directly targeting the government's overhaul of the criminal justice system.

Seo Young-kyo, a Democratic Party lawmaker and chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, held a press conference at the National Assembly on the 4th and disclosed an opinion letter submitted by Cho ahead of the Supreme Court audit on the 6th. In the letter, Cho reportedly wrote, "Considering that I have a duty to comply with the Constitution and laws and that investigative proceedings could also be underway, it is difficult for me to appear as a witness and provide answers."
Cho also drew a line at questions from the National Assembly regarding the power to recommend Supreme Court justices. He argued, "Having the Chief Justice testify before the National Assembly about the exercise of his constitutionally independent power to recommend justices runs counter to the purpose of the separation of powers reflected in Article 104(2) of the Constitution and to judicial independence."
The Democratic Party of Korea countered that Cho must attend because he had been designated as an individual witness rather than an institutional witness. Seo criticized him, saying, "Whenever the National Assembly asks for explanations about issues facing the judiciary, the judiciary repeatedly refuses to appear by invoking judicial independence. Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae is not above scrutiny, and judicial independence is not a shield that permits silence in the face of unconstitutional acts."
The prolonged vacancy on the Supreme Court and the budget for the Chief Justice's official residence also emerged as key issues. The Democratic Party of Korea said the Supreme Court justice seat had been vacant for 215 days as of that day and would demand a renewed recommendation. It also plans to question the National Court Administration during the audit over its request for approximately 2.29 billion won in next year's budget for repair work at the Chief Justice's official residence.
The People Power Party, by contrast, put the fallout from the criminal justice system overhaul following the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office at the center of the audit. Chief spokesperson Choi Bo-yoon stressed, "Whenever a case is transferred, the assignment process and review of the records start over from scratch. For victims who already suffer because delay itself is painful, this adds the pain of becoming a 'case orphan.'" The party is expected to focus its questioning on case transfers and investigation delays arising from the launch of the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crime Investigation Agency.

The People Power Party held the "National Action Rally for Judging the Lee Jae Myung Administration, Recovering Livelihoods and Protecting National Security" near Sungnyemun Gate in Seoul the previous day, firing the opening salvo of its all-out offensive at the audit. The outdoor rally in central Seoul, which mobilized the party's lawmakers, district party leaders and members, was its first in roughly a year, since September last year. Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk said at the rally, "For a year and a half, we endured, endured and endured again. We could no longer bear it, so we came out into the streets like this." Regarding the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office, he added, "The justice minister, the commissioner general of the National Police Agency, the head of the Public Prosecution Office and the head of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency are all absent. They abolished the Prosecutors' Office first without any preparation."
National security and the economy are also major battlefronts in the audit. On the 19th anniversary of the 2007 North–South Summit Declaration, the Democratic Party of Korea said, "We must restart the dialogue that has come to a halt," while adding, "We will respond firmly to provocations from North Korea." Jang, meanwhile, criticized the government's policy toward North Korea over its recent ballistic missile launch, saying, "With mines exploding and missiles flying around, calling this 'managing the situation' is the height of complacency."
In economic affairs, the People Power Party also focused on consumer sentiment and housing prices, targeting President Lee Jae Myung's assessment that "economic normalization is achieving considerable results." The Democratic Party of Korea criticized the People Power Party's street protests and urged it to return to the National Assembly. Chief spokesperson Park Seong-jun said, "The National Assembly audit begins in two days. We ask you to cooperate in creating policies and alternatives for people's livelihoods, rather than engaging in opposition for opposition's sake or putting on a show aimed at obstruction."

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