Jung Cheong-rae: “Impeaching Cho Hee-dae decisively is the best course of action”

[Financial News] Jung Cheong-rae, a Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker, pressured the party leadership on the 21st, saying, “The best course of action is to make a bold decision now to impeach Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae.”
Jung said this in a social media post that day, saying, “There are more than enough grounds to impeach Chief Justice Cho, and his political actions have already gone too far,” and, “He invokes judicial independence at every turn, but that is merely another political argument piggybacking on the fundamental principle of judicial independence in trials.”
He asked pointedly, “As head of the judiciary, he was silent or passive when he should have stepped forward to defend judicial independence. During the Dec. 3 emergency martial law insurrection, did he immediately and publicly declare that the martial law was illegal? Where was he and what was he doing during the riot at the Western District Court, when the independence of the judiciary suffered a severe blow?”
He also argued, “From the outrage of trying to strip Lee Jae-myung, who had a strong chance of winning the presidential election, of his presidential candidacy to the refusal to make a second recommendation for Supreme Court justices, Cho’s actions make him unfit to continue serving as chief justice. His refusal to take an oath before the National Assembly, and even the issue of business expenses raised in the recent parliamentary audit—his arrogant attitude and shamelessly digging in by feigning ignorance are themselves violations of the spirit of the Constitution.”
Jung also underscored the need to pursue Chief Justice Cho’s impeachment by raising the possibility that Kim Geon-hee could be released. He said, “At this rate, Kim Geon-hee looks set to be released and roam the streets,” adding, “If Kim Geon-hee is released and set free, the DPK will face fierce criticism: ‘What did the DPK do instead of impeaching Chief Justice Cho?’”
Jung pressed the point, saying, “Politics is about timing. There are ample reasons and justification for impeaching Chief Justice Cho, and public sentiment is strong. There is no reason for the DPK to hesitate.”
[email protected] Kim Hyeong-gu Reporter