Han Duck-soo's Imminent Release Rekindles Calls to Impeach Cho Hee-dae... Democratic Party Says “There Must Be No Gap in Bringing Insurrection to Justice”

[Financial News] Calls within the Democratic Party to impeach Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae have flared up again as the end of the detention period approaches for former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison on appeal for allegedly performing a key role in an insurrection. The likelihood that Han will stand trial while released has grown because the Supreme Court plans to continue hearing his final appeal on the 19th, one day before his detention period expires. The Democratic Party is pressuring the judiciary, saying there must be no gap in bringing those involved in the insurrection to justice, but disagreements continue within the party over how to pursue impeachment.
According to political and legal circles on the 15th, Han’s detention period expires at 00:00 on the 20th. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison at his first trial and detained in court; his sentence was reduced to 15 years on appeal. The Supreme Court Grand Bench has been hearing his final appeal since May and is set to hold its second hearing on the 19th, one day before his detention period expires. If the ruling is not finalized and no separate detention measure is taken by then, Han will stand trial without being detained.
The Democratic Party is taking issue with the pace of the Supreme Court proceedings. At a Supreme Council meeting on the 13th, party leader Kim Min-seok said, “Han Duck-soo’s release is a red line for the public, symbolizing the revival of insurrection,” and added, “I warn the judiciary under Cho Hee-dae that there are lines that must not be crossed.”
Criticism also came from the party leadership. Supreme Council member Jeon Yong-gi claimed, “When Han Duck-soo walks out of the detention center, Chief Justice Cho will be the one to complete the impeachment puzzle.” Senior spokesperson Park Sung-joon raised suspicions that the Supreme Court had deliberately delayed proceedings to secure Han’s release, and said measures to respond to the judiciary were being prepared. However, the Democratic Party’s claim that the delay was intentional has not been confirmed as fact.
Internal divisions over impeaching Chief Justice Cho have also resurfaced. In particular, figures close to former party leader Jung Chung-rae are criticizing the leadership for putting off a decision between impeachment and a parliamentary investigation. On the 13th, senior council members including Choi Min-hee, Lee Sung-yoon and Han Min-soo criticized party leader Kim, saying the leadership had appeared ready to pursue impeachment before changing course to a parliamentary investigation, but had made no progress on that either. Senior Council member Lee Sung-yoon raised his voice, asking, “If Han Duck-soo is released at this rate, how on earth does the Democratic Party expect to handle it?”
Meanwhile, some are urging caution, saying the effectiveness of impeachment and its political costs must be considered. The Democratic Party had initially planned to begin procedures early this month to request a parliamentary investigation into Chief Justice Cho, but internal differences prevented it from reaching a decision. Another concern is the uncertainty over whether the process could proceed to a final ruling by the Constitutional Court if an impeachment motion were passed, given that Cho is due to retire next June. Since impeachment requires specific grounds for violating the Constitution or laws, whether the expiration of the detention period alone constitutes grounds for impeachment is also in dispute. The Democratic Party plans to hold an urgent hearing on pending issues involving the Supreme Court at the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 16th.
Han’s release is not yet certain. The Supreme Court could issue its ruling before his detention period expires, or an additional arrest warrant could be issued in a separate, ongoing abuse-of-authority case related to the failure to appoint Constitutional Court justices.

[email protected] Kim Gyeong-min Reporter