Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash Over Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's Refusal to Renominate Supreme Court Justice

With Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Cho Hee-dae refusing the presidential office's demand to renominate a Supreme Court justice candidate, the ruling and opposition parties traded barbs on the 26th. The Democratic Party of Korea criticized Chief Justice Cho for 'playing politics in judicial robes,' while the People Power Party countered by accusing the Democrats of 'intimidating the judiciary.'

Park Sung-jun, chief spokesperson of the Democratic Party, criticized in a written briefing on the 26th: 'Cho Hee-dae is now walking, step by step, down the same path of downfall that Yoon Suk Yeol took.' He claimed, 'The man who wrecked the judiciary is Cho Hee-dae,' adding, 'Public suspicion is growing that he is joining hands with outside political forces, rather than his own institution, and acting on their behalf.' Party spokesperson Son Myung-soo pointed out, 'Chief Justice Cho remanded the case of then-presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung in just nine days shortly before the election, and has now even refused the demand to renominate a justice candidate.' He asked, 'Isn't he playing politics while wearing judicial robes?' He added, 'With a Supreme Court seat left vacant for more than 200 days, the longer the judiciary holds out, the greater the burden of this vacancy will ultimately fall on the people.'

The People Power Party pushed back with a framing of pressure on the judiciary. Chief spokesperson Park Sung-hoon argued in a statement, 'When the Chief Justice refused a renomination demand lacking any clear constitutional basis, the Democratic Party accused the Chief Justice of 'insurrection,' pressured him with a parliamentary probe and a special prosecutor, and is even preparing to cut the Supreme Court budget.' He urged an end to the intimidation of the judiciary, saying, 'Is it normal governance to oust the head of a constitutional institution simply for not following the president's wishes? This is nothing but a declaration of war aimed at neutralizing the separation of powers.'

Floor chief spokesperson Choi Soo-jin cited investigation costs. He said, 'After the joint investigation team and two mammoth special prosecutor probes, they poured nearly 20 billion won of taxpayers' money over a year and nine months, and now they want to launch yet another 'insurrection special investigation team.'' He criticized it as 'a typical 'taming-the-judiciary' scheme to crush Chief Justice Cho for refusing to renominate a justice candidate according to his convictions under the Constitution,' adding, 'It is an explicit declaration of revenge: obey, or be destroyed by the full mobilization of state punitive power.'

Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae stated his refusal to renominate on September 22, 2026, saying, 'No constitutional grounds or reasons can be found to justify a request for renomination.' That same day, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Dong-ah, a member of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, characterized the decision as 'a judicial coup following Yoon Suk Yeol's December 3 coup.'

With a Supreme Court seat vacant for more than 200 days, the ruling and opposition parties' standoff over the refused renomination is expected to play out in full at the National Assembly's audit of the Supreme Court scheduled for October 6, 2026.