[2026 Parliamentary Audit] Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Cho Heedae Dispute Continues... Ruling Party: "Dereliction of Duty"; Opposition: "No Authority"

Legislation and Judiciary Committee audits Ministry of Government Legislation on Oct. 15
Cho Woncheol, minister of government legislation, places weight on chief justice's responsibility

As the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee held a parliamentary inquiry into the Ministry of Government Legislation on the 15th, the ruling and opposition parties continued to clash over Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae’s refusal to make a renewed recommendation.

A parliamentary audit of the Ministry of Government Legislation by the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 15th. Yonhap News.

The committee conducted its annual parliamentary audit of the Ministry of Government Legislation that day. At the hearing, the Democratic Party of Korea criticized Chief Justice Cho’s refusal to make a renewed recommendation, calling it a dereliction of duty. Assemblyman Kim Dong-ah said, "I believe that once the president requested a renewed recommendation, the chief justice acquired a constitutional duty to make one. If he fails to do so, that would amount to a dereliction of duty and a failure to fulfill his responsibilities as chief justice."

Assemblyman Kim Eui-gyeom also raised the possibility of impeaching Chief Justice Cho. "The chief justice has failed to perform his constitutional duties. This could even constitute dereliction of duty under the Criminal Act," he said, adding that "it is connected to impeachment." He also criticized the chief justice, saying, "Failing to fulfill a constitutional duty is far more serious than ordinary dereliction of duty."

The People Power Party came to Chief Justice Cho’s defense. Assemblyman Park Hyung-soo, the opposition party’s secretary on the committee, stressed, "(The president) has no constitutional authority to request another recommendation if he is unwilling to make an appointment." He also said, "If the president keeps rejecting recommendations until someone he likes is recommended, what meaning does the power to recommend have?" Assemblyman Yoon Sang-hyun noted, "The president’s power to appoint, the National Assembly’s power to consent, and the chief justice’s power to recommend Supreme Court justices are equal powers."

Cho Won-cheol, Minister of Government Legislation, made remarks that placed responsibility on Chief Justice Cho. "If the failure to appoint Supreme Court justices because the power to recommend was not exercised causes disruption to the composition or operation of the Supreme Court, then the chief justice has failed to fulfill his constitutional duties," he said. On the dispute over the legal basis for requesting a renewed recommendation, he said, "That is the conclusion reached through logical interpretation."

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