Rebuilding Korea Party Unveils Impeachment Motion Against Cho Heedae, Urges Joint Action with Democratic Party

12 Rebuilding Korea Party lawmakers to deliver impeachment motion and letters to Democratic Party lawmakers
Democratic Party to gather opinions, focusing on its parliamentary members... "Discuss after parliamentary audit"

The Rebuilding Korea Party on the 19th released its impeachment motion against Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Heedae and called on the Democratic Party of Korea to take joint action. The Democratic Party plans to gather opinions, primarily among its lawmakers, and discuss the impeachment issue after the parliamentary audit.

Shin Jang-sik, leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, released the impeachment motion against Chief Justice Cho at an on-site Supreme Council meeting held that morning in front of the symbolic stone commemorating the lifting of martial law imposed on Dec. 3 at the National Assembly. "Let us begin joint action as soon as possible, bringing together the democratic and progressive camp, including the Rebuilding Korea Party, and the Democratic Party," Shin said. "We could set up a joint task force or hold a joint meeting of the lawmakers."

(SEOUL=Yonhap News) Hwang Hyunseon (third from left), a Supreme Council member of the Rebuilding Korea Party, speaks about the impeachment motion against Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Heedae at an on-site Supreme Council meeting held on Oct. 19 in front of the symbolic stone commemorating the lifting of martial law imposed on Dec. 3 at the National Assembly. 2026.10.19 Photo by Bae Jaeman scoop@yna.co.kr (End)

The Rebuilding Korea Party plans to deliver the motion to Democratic Party lawmakers. Speaking to reporters after the Supreme Council meeting, Park Byeong-eon, a spokesperson for the Rebuilding Korea Party, said, "All 12 lawmakers of the Rebuilding Korea Party are going to start delivering letters and the impeachment motion to Democratic Party lawmakers right away."

The Rebuilding Korea Party also called for a joint emergency meeting of the two parties' lawmakers and the formation of a joint task force (TF) to pursue "Cho's impeachment and the abolition of the National Court Administration." The party plans to pursue discussions between the floor leaders after Kim Jun-hyung, its floor leader, returns to Korea on the afternoon of Oct. 20.

The impeachment motion released that day cites three grounds for impeachment: the Supreme Court's May 1 ruling last year to remand President Lee Jae-myung's case under the Public Official Election Act; delays in recommending candidates for Supreme Court justice and the rejection of the president's request for new recommendations; and allegations related to the payment of congratulatory bonuses and the use of business promotion expenses.

The Rebuilding Korea Party argued that the remand ruling violated the right to a fair trial and the judiciary's duty of political neutrality, among other things. It said that rejecting the request to recommend new candidates for Supreme Court justice violated a constitutional obligation, and that the issues surrounding the payment of congratulatory bonuses and the use of business promotion expenses also constituted grounds for impeachment.

Responding to concerns from some in the Democratic Party that impeachment could trigger a political backlash, Shin said, "The wind is at our backs, not against us." Hwang Hyunseon, a Supreme Council member of the Rebuilding Korea Party, also urged the Democratic Party to join the impeachment effort, saying, "The Democratic Party must make a firm decision."

The Democratic Party announced that day that it would gather opinions on impeaching Chief Justice Cho. Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok reportedly instructed the party to make an intensive effort to gather views from lawmakers and the public, primarily through its parliamentary caucus, at a closed-door Supreme Council meeting.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Cho Gye-won, a Democratic Party spokesperson, said the party would focus on informing the public about allegations that Chief Justice Cho violated the law and issues raised during the parliamentary audit. "The audit continues through next week, so during the audit we will focus as much as possible on people’s livelihoods, policy and accountability, and we will look into the other issues in due course," he said.

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