Support for impeaching Chief Justice Cho Hee-de has fallen below even Lee Jae-myung's approval rating

Public support for impeaching Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-de has fallen below even President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating.

As the high-stakes move to impeach the Chief Justice fails to win public backing, voices within the Democratic Party are calling for a strategic reassessment. Supreme Council member Han Min-su said on CBS Radio's 'Park Sung-tae News Show' that some in the party are demanding swift impeachment rather than a parliamentary probe, and Representative Park Jie-won also emphasized on the 29th on Kim Eo-jun's 'News Factory' that he personally supports impeachment and that the National Assembly must play its role. Yet the fuel of public support for such a move has run short.

The Gap Between the Impeachment Narrative and Approval Ratings

The Democratic Party's push to impeach the Chief Justice stems from the Supreme Court's decision to remand President Lee Jae-myung's election law case to a lower court, which has become a central political flashpoint. The party has framed the judiciary's ruling as a politically motivated attack and has weighed both impeachment and a parliamentary investigation. The problem is that this narrative has failed to persuade voters. Recent polls show that the share of people favoring impeachment has fallen below even the president's approval rating — evidence that not a few members of the ruling party's own base question an all-out war against the judiciary. In other words, the public is judging the president's approval and the Chief Justice's impeachment by entirely different yardsticks.

The reason for the gap is clear. In voters' eyes, impeachment is more likely to appear as a clash over state power aimed at self-defense rather than institutional checks. An impeachment of a Chief Justice is unprecedented in constitutional history, and therefore demands an exceptionally high threshold of legitimacy — one that has not been met by public consensus.

Factional Divisions and Timing Calculations Within the Party

As public support wanes, the party leadership's room for maneuver narrows. As Han Min-su's remarks show, the argument for swift impeachment coexists with calls to prioritize a parliamentary probe within the party. While senior figures like Park Jie-won openly advocate impeachment, factions worried about falling approval ratings argue the party should focus on the Lee Jae-myung administration's governing agenda. Indeed, the ruling party faces a stack of pressing issues — deliberating next year's budget of 821 trillion won and electing a new National Assembly speaker for the second half of the term — meaning a prolonged battle with the judiciary would inevitably crowd out other legislative business.

The more difficult problem is the initiative. That support for impeachment is lower than the president's approval rating means the opposition has an opening to counterattack under the banner of 'a divided public.' The People Power Party has criticized the impeachment push itself as an infringement on the judiciary and an attempt to serve the ruling party's political interests, and the absence of public backing lends weight to these attacks.

Outlook and Variables Ahead

In the short term, the most likely scenario is a pivot toward a parliamentary investigation in an effort to reshape public opinion. Since impeachment also faces the high barrier of approval by the Constitutional Court, the party is likely to slow its pace under the pretext of building its case. On the other hand, if impeachment hardliners like Park Jie-won and Han Min-su grow louder, the party leadership will face a moment when it can no longer delay a decision on its course.

The decisive variable is the Supreme Court's ruling. The timing and content of the remanded verdict will determine the intensity of the clash between the judiciary and the political sphere. If the ruling is delayed and the public debate drags on, the impeachment card will lose its force; conversely, if a ruling draws near, calls for swift impeachment within the party could resurface. Given that an impeachment lacking public support risks turning its blade against its wielder, the Democratic Party's choice is expected to become clear within the next few weeks.