Impeachment, Not National Assembly Probe, for Cho Hee-de... Democrats Split
As voices emerge within the Democratic Party of Korea arguing that impeachment should be pursued before a national assembly probe (a procedure in which the National Assembly investigates wrongdoing across state affairs) over Chief Justice Cho Hee-de, the party's internal discussions have fractured. This comes just one day after the party leadership decided to pursue a probe into Chief Justice Cho, citing his refusal to re-nominate justice candidates (re-requesting an appointment whose consent in the National Assembly had already failed) and allegations of improper spending of operational expenses (expenditures used for official duties).
Kim Ki-pyo, a member of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, posted in a group chatroom for lawmakers on the 28th, claiming "a national assembly probe would actually obstruct the impeachment of Chief Justice Cho" and calling for immediate impeachment. He asked, "If we conduct a national assembly probe and it doesn't go well, are we not going to impeach Chief Justice Cho?" He also pointed out that the investigation process could give Chief Justice Cho room to assert his legitimacy alongside the People Power Party.
The argument to move quickly on impeachment was also voiced in public settings. Lee Sung-yoon, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, noted at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 28th that there is criticism that the party's response is too lax, given that Chief Justice Cho is intervening across the political sphere at a level tantamount to a judicial coup. He emphasized, "Impeachment proceedings must begin as soon as possible, not a moment later." Han Min-soo, another Supreme Council member, also said on CBS Radio on the 28th that there are opinions within the party that impeachment should be pursued more swiftly than a national assembly probe.
The common ground would be a parallel-track approach. Seo Young-kyo, a member of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said on KBS Radio, "While the national assembly probe proceeds on its own track, how to handle the impeachment procedure will be a very important point of discussion." He added that if Chief Justice Cho refuses to cooperate with the probe, an attendance order (a procedure requesting the court to compel the subject of an investigation to appear) is also possible.
The Democratic Party plans to report its request for a national assembly probe to a plenary session on the 5th of next month, form a special committee on the probe, and launch the full investigation in early December. Park Sung-jun, the Democratic Party's chief spokesperson, told reporters after the Supreme Council meeting that the floor leadership is coordinating the targets and scope of the probe.
However, the People Power Party is pushing back with an opposition offensive. Choi Su-jin, the People Power Party's chief floor spokesperson, said, "We will do everything in our power to respond, including a filibuster (obstructionist speeches in the legislature)," signaling that the standoff in the National Assembly is likely to be prolonged.
