The Democratic Party of Korea emphasized the need to set up a separate panel dedicated to the "Dec. 3 martial law" case and said it would move to accelerate related discussions during the regular session. Party leaders had drawn a line against legislating the creation of a "sedition-dedicated panel," but the move is seen as a reversal that formalizes the push.
Han Jeong-ae, the Democratic Party policy committee chair, said at a press briefing at the National Assembly on the 14th, "This is sedition carried out through martial law led by a sitting president, so shouldn't a dedicated panel have been set up early on?" She added, "From the legislature's perspective, it is somewhat regrettable to see the judiciary's stance on how it views this case."
Citing the example of the Seoul Central District Court's dedicated intellectual property divisions, Han said, "In 2017, it created three civil panels dedicated solely to intellectual property cases, and in 2019 it converted them into divisions composed of three senior judges to strengthen capacity," adding, "Given the gravity of this case now being discussed by the Democratic Party and the National Assembly, shouldn't the court have been the first to call for (forming a dedicated panel)? The judiciary should not try to pin the reasons for the public outcry over judicial reform on politics."
The Democratic Party plans to complete an internal review soon and put the "bill to create a sedition-dedicated panel" on the agenda for discussion during the regular session.
On the timing of pushing legislation to create a sedition-dedicated panel, the policy committee chair said, "It would be good if the judiciary could decide these matters on its own. There is some need to wait for the judiciary's decision," but added, "If there is no movement at all, I think we should view it as a legislative matter. At the policy committee level, we will review the (previously introduced related) bills and, if possible, aim to have them discussed during the regular session."
She continued, "It is fully possible to process revisions or alternatives centered on bills already introduced," adding, "If necessary, we will consider introducing a separate bill at the party level."
Regarding controversy from some in the opposition over potential unconstitutionality, she cited examples of dedicated panels such as labor courts and family courts and countered, "What we are trying to do now is not set up a separate court, but install a sedition-dedicated division within the criminal agreement division of the Seoul Central District Court, so I don't really see what the problem is."
The "special law on sedition (special bill on follow-up measures for the Dec. 3 martial law and protection of whistleblowers)," for which Rep. Park Chan-dae was the lead sponsor on Jul. (지난 7월), would establish first- and second-instance special panels at the Seoul Central District Court and the Seoul High Court. The special panel would be recommended by a nine-member Special Panel Candidate Recommendation Committee composed of recommendations from the National Assembly excluding the People Power Party, the courts, and the Korean Bar Association. On measures such as removing the National Assembly's recommendation power to prevent the process from devolving into partisan strife, Han said, "As long as they clearly declare that they will actively take part in restoring constitutional order and sever ties with sedition forces, discussion is fully possible."