PPP: "If Choi Hee-dae Is Summoned, President Lee Should Also Testify at Audit... Violates Separation of Powers"

Backlash Against Request for Chief Justice Choi Hee-dae to Testify at Parliamentary Audit

"Court Administrator Can Provide Sufficient Answers"

The People Power Party defended Chief Justice Choi Hee-dae, who did not comply with the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee’s request to testify at a parliamentary audit, and criticized the Democratic Party of Korea, calling it “an act of tyranny and abuse of power by the National Assembly against the judiciary.”

Chief Justice Hoidae Cho is leaving as the Legislative and Judiciary Committee's national audit of the Supreme Court and others held at the National Assembly on the 13th is adjourned. 2025.10.13 Photo by Hyunmin Kim

On October 5, Jeong Jeom-sik, floor leader of the People Power Party, posted on his Facebook page under the title “The Seven Reasons Why Chief Justice Choi Hee-dae Cannot Testify as a Parliamentary Audit Witness,” arguing, “The justification for the attendance request is lacking because the large ruling party unilaterally selected the witness, disregarding bipartisan consensus.”

Jeong asserted, “Summoning the Chief Justice, one of the heads of the three branches of government, to a parliamentary audit violates the separation of powers,” and added, “Shifting responsibility for the Blue House’s repeated recommendation requests onto the Chief Justice and calling him as a witness is an attempt to muddy the waters and detract from the true nature of the audit.”

He went on to note that “there is no precedent for summoning the Chief Justice as a general witness to a parliamentary audit” and insisted, “If the Chief Justice is summoned, then the President should also be called as a witness for the audit of the executive branch.” He also contended that the Chief Justice of the National Court Administration can sufficiently respond to pending issues on behalf of the Supreme Court.

Assemblyman Yoon Sang-hyun also pointed out that witnesses and references requested by the opposition during the confirmation hearing of Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won were not selected and criticized, “They leave the witness seat empty when there are suspicions unfavorable to themselves, while attempting to put the head of the judiciary in the witness seat.”

Supreme Council Member Shin Dong-wook also defended Chief Justice Choi’s non-appearance, stating, “It has long been customary for parliamentary audit questions to be addressed to court administrators, including the head of the National Court Administration, not directly to the Chief Justice.”

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