The Democratic Party of Korea election campaign committee noted on the 26th that there has been no official party stance regarding the recently proposed 'non-legal professional Supreme Court Justice appointment law' and 'the bill to increase the number of Supreme Court Justices.' However, Democratic Party lawmaker Jang Kyoung-tae, who was the primary sponsor of the bill to amend the court organization law, said, 'I respect the decision of the campaign committee,' while also stating, 'It is extremely regrettable to say that it is a unilateral offensive.'
Deputy Minister Yoon Ho-jung held a press briefing at the Democratic Party of Korea headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, that afternoon, stating, 'There has been no official party stance regarding discussions about increasing the number of Supreme Court Justices or qualifications related to Supreme Court Justices.'
Earlier that morning, the party's campaign committee had decided to withdraw the amendment to the court organization law, which was primarily sponsored by lawmakers Park Beom-kye and Jang Kyoung-tae, and instructed the respective lawmakers to proceed accordingly. Each of the proposed bills would allow non-legal professionals to be appointed as Supreme Court Justices and increase the current number of Justices from 14 to a minimum of 30 and up to 100.
Chief Spokesperson Cho Seung-rae explained, 'This was a decision made to match the party's position and prevent unnecessary misunderstandings from continuing.'
When asked whether a consensus had been formed with Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung regarding the withdrawal of the bill, Deputy Minister Yoon replied, 'This was not a conclusion reached after prior reporting to the candidate,' explaining that, 'This was a matter deeply discussed and decided by the campaign committee members today during the meeting.'
He continued, 'Candidate Lee previously said during yesterday's press briefing that, "It is premature to discuss bills related to judicial reform," and I think he expressed sufficient opinion on the matter.'
Candidate Lee stated during the press briefing held the previous day, 'I instructed the election camp not to create further controversy regarding judicial issues,' adding, 'Although I am a legal professional, it is not a matter that can be easily discussed to open the Supreme Court Justice position to non-legal professionals.'
However, lawmaker Jang, who was the primary sponsor of the amendment to the court organization law, expressed, 'I respect the decision of the campaign committee and will strive to ensure that the intent of the decision is adequately reflected during the discussions in the legislative committee.'
Lawmaker Jang stated on Facebook that, 'I respect the decision of the campaign committee,' but regarding the bill, said, 'It may feel unfamiliar as it is benchmarked against foreign advanced judicial systems, but it can be sufficiently adjusted to fit the situation in Korea during the discussions in the legislative committee.'
He continued, 'While some argue this is an offensive against the judiciary, our Constitution grants the authority to recommend appointments of Supreme Court Justices to the Chief Justice, and it is extremely regrettable to label it a unilateral offensive in a situation where the authority to recommend exists with Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae.'
In response, Deputy Minister Yoon stated, 'I communicated the decision of the campaign committee to Lawmaker Jang and even had a direct conversation with him,' adding, 'Lawmaker Jang is currently discussing how to implement the directives of the campaign committee with lawmakers who had previously agreed to the bill he sponsored.'
However, Deputy Minister Yoon responded regarding the withdrawal of the 'increase the number of Supreme Court Justices to 30' bill, 'We will further discuss it.'