People Power Party: “Probe into Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae is political retaliation for the guilty verdict against President Lee”

[Financial News] On the 30th, the People Power Party urged the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) to immediately halt its push for a parliamentary investigation into Supreme Court of Korea Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, calling it “political retaliation for the guilty verdict against President Lee Jae Myung.”
At a meeting on responses to parliamentary audits held at the National Assembly that day, Kim Seung-soo, the People Power Party’s senior deputy floor leader for parliamentary affairs, said, “By citing the ruling overturning and remanding President Lee’s case for violating the Public Official Election Act as an allegation to be examined in the investigation into Chief Justice Cho, the DPK has itself admitted that the investigation’s purpose is political retaliation.”
Kim said, “Under Article 8 of the Act on Parliamentary Inspection and Investigation, a parliamentary investigation must not be conducted for the purpose of intervening in a trial that is still underway,” and argued that the allegations could not legally be subject to such an investigation. He made the same argument about the DPK’s allegation that the trial of Kim Keon Hee had been delayed.
He also criticized the plan, saying the Supreme Court’s response during the emergency martial law, the controversy over the renomination of Supreme Court justices, and allegations concerning the use of business operating expenses had already been addressed in parliamentary audits. “Holding another parliamentary investigation after the audit is a waste of taxpayers’ money,” he said.
Kim Mi-ae, the People Power Party’s senior deputy floor leader for policy, also said, “The public will never agree with the idea of subjecting the head of the judiciary to a parliamentary investigation and even pursuing impeachment simply because a ruling went against one’s political camp.”
She went on to say, “This investigation is intended to influence trials and pressure judges’ independent judgment,” and argued that “the president’s silence is effectively condoning the ruling party’s efforts to shake up the judiciary.” She urged the DPK to “immediately halt this targeted parliamentary investigation aimed at impeachment.”

[email protected] Kim Kyung-min Reporter