DP Urges Cho Hee-dae to Testify at Audit... Delayed Verdicts for Insurrection Defendants

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"Judicial Independence Is Not a Privilege for the Chief Justice"

Byungdo Han, Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, directly criticized Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae on October 6, stating, "Judicial independence is a principle to safeguard the fairness of trials, not a privilege that exempts the Chief Justice from responsibility."

During the National Assembly audit countermeasure meeting held at the National Assembly that morning, Floor Leader Han pointed out, "Today, the Legislation and Judiciary Committee will conduct an audit of the Supreme Court," and added, "However, Chief Justice Cho submitted a statement of non-attendance on October 2, citing judicial independence as the reason."

He continued, "It has been only four days since he told the press on his way to work that he would address the issues at the Assembly audit," adding, "How can the judiciary maintain the public's trust if promises made before the people are overturned like this?"

Byungdo Han, Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is delivering opening remarks at the National Assembly audit countermeasure meeting held at the National Assembly on the 6th. Photo by Dongju Yoon

Floor Leader Han stressed, "With the vacancy in the Supreme Court continuing for 217 days, the processing period for criminal appellate cases has been extended by nearly a month." He further expressed concern that, "Appellate trials for major defendants in rebellion cases, including the appeal of Kim Gun-hee—whose detention period expires at the end of October—as well as Han Duck-soo and Lee Sang-min, are all being continuously delayed. In the worst case, Kim Gun-hee could be released as her detention expires, and even the sentencing of rebellion offenders could be deferred, undermining efforts to redress rebellion and restore constitutional order."

Floor Leader Han also asserted, "As the head with the authority to nominate Supreme Court justices, Chief Justice Cho must first answer what he has done to resolve the vacancy. Exercising authority but avoiding responsibility is not acceptable," adding, "Chief Justice Cho must appear before the National Assembly as a witness and provide the public with a full explanation regarding the prolonged vacancy of Supreme Court justices."

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