Cho Hee-dae Refuses Renomination Demand: Ruling Party Says "Playing Politics in Judicial Robes," Opposition Accuses "Intimidation of Judiciary"

The ruling and opposition parties continued to clash over Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae’s refusal to comply with the Blue House’s demand for the renomination of Supreme Court justices. The Democratic Party of Korea criticized Chief Justice Cho, accusing him of “playing politics,” while the People Power Party countered that the ruling bloc was intimidating the judiciary through measures such as the Special Investigation Headquarters on the Rebellion Incident.

Chief Justice Hoidae Cho is arriving at the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 23rd. Photo by Yonhap News

Park Sungjoon, chief spokesperson of the Democratic Party, stated in a written briefing on the 26th, “Cho Hee-dae is currently following in the footsteps of Yoon Suk-yeol’s downfall, step by step. The person responsible for undermining the judiciary is Cho Hee-dae.”

He added, “There is growing public suspicion that Cho Hee-dae is cooperating with external political forces rather than working for the institution—and is acting on their behalf. Is the Supreme Court being guided today by the Constitution and conscience, or by the forces behind the rebellion and certain political groups?”

Son Myungsoo, Democratic Party spokesperson, also pointed out in a written briefing, “Chief Justice Cho returned the case of then-candidate Lee Jae-myung just nine days before the presidential election, and has now refused the demand for Supreme Court justice renomination. Is he not wearing judicial robes while engaging in politics?” He emphasized, “With one Supreme Court justice seat left vacant for more than 200 days, the longer this deadlock in the judiciary drags on, the greater the burden this void will ultimately place on the people.”

On the other hand, Park Sunghoon, chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, commented in a statement, “When the Chief Justice refused a demand for renomination with no clear constitutional basis, the Democratic Party responded by labeling him a ‘rebel,’ pressuring him with calls for a parliamentary investigation and a special prosecutor, and is now preparing the petty retaliation of slashing the Supreme Court’s budget. The intimidation of the judiciary must stop immediately.”

He further pointed out, “Is it truly normal governance, as the administration claims, to try to oust the head of a constitutional institution simply for not following the President’s wishes? Isn’t this the very definition of insurrection? This is nothing but a declaration of intent to dismantle the separation of powers.”

Choi Sujin, the floor spokesperson for the People Power Party, stated in a commentary, “Following the consolidated investigation team, two massive special prosecutor investigations consumed nearly 20 billion won in public funds over one year and nine months, yet now they are proposing another ‘Special Investigation Headquarters on the Rebellion Incident.’” She criticized, “This is a textbook operation to subjugate the judiciary by singling out Chief Justice Cho, who faithfully refused the renomination of Supreme Court justices according to the Constitution. It is a blatant declaration of political retaliation, signaling that if you do not do as they wish, the government will wield its full prosecutorial powers against you.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.