Chief Justice Cho: "I Cannot Accept Claims of Flaws in the Nominations"
Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-de said on the 23rd, through the Supreme Court, that he found it difficult to accept the presidential office's claim that "there are procedural flaws in the nominations of Supreme Court justices (the process by which the president requests the appointment of judges)." The presidential office also countered that same afternoon with a second rebuttal statement, and the conflict between the two sides is deepening.
In its rebuttal, the presidential office argued, "It is precisely attempts to exclude lawfully recommended candidates from the nomination process that undermine the fairness of the procedure," adding that "the Chief Justice must accept the president's refusal to make appointments and the request for re-nomination as they are." It went on to urge, "Understand the official letter from the perspective of an ordinary citizen with sound common sense, and promptly take follow-up measures so that the people's right to a trial is not infringed." This is the third statement the presidential office has issued regarding Chief Justice Cho's refusal to re-submit nominations, following two statements the previous day. However, it drew the line at the possibility of filing a competence dispute petition with the Constitutional Court.
Impeachment approached cautiously, National Assembly powers mobilized. Both ruling and opposition parties mounted their own responses.
Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok criticized at the party's Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 23rd, "Chief Justice Cho's unprecedented unconstitutional, unlawful, and insurrectionary refusal to re-submit nominations is, in essence, a form of foot-dragging that disregards the people." He stated, "We will use every power of the National Assembly to investigate, summon, rebuke, hold legally accountable, and correct this." The Democratic Party's floor leadership visited the Supreme Court that afternoon in protest and repeatedly demanded a swift re-submission of nominations.
The Democratic Party has been reticent at the party level about pursuing the impeachment of Chief Justice Cho. Appearing on the party's official YouTube channel 'Democratic Party TV,' Kim said, "There could be Assembly questioning, a state affairs investigation, or a special counsel, so we will respond comprehensively and from multiple angles."
The People Power Party shielded Chief Justice Cho and redirected its offensive toward President Lee Jae-myung. PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk held an emergency press conference at the National Assembly that day, claiming, "They are dismissing even the Chief Justice's constitutional nomination authority entirely," and said, "The Chuseok gift the people want is the impeachment of Lee Jae-myung."
