National Assembly Vice Speaker Joo Ho-young on the 25th directly criticized the Democratic Party of Korea's "legislative steamrolling," including handling amendments to the Government Organization Act centered on "dismantling the prosecution." He urged, "President Lee Jae-myung must answer the suspicion that dismantling the prosecution is evidence destruction in Lee Jae-myung's corruption cases." He then said he would boycott presiding over the National Assembly plenary session.
Joo, the incumbent lawmaker of the People Power Party with the most terms (six), held a press briefing at the National Assembly this afternoon and criticized, "The Democratic Party is racing toward the pinnacle of abnormality," adding, "They are mobilizing every means to drive out Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae." This was aimed at the Democratic Party defining the Supreme Court's en banc ruling in May to remand with a guilty purport as an alleged "presidential election intervention" and signaling it will push ahead with a confirmation hearing for Chief Justice Cho on the 30th.
He strongly criticized, "The remand with a guilty purport was effectively a unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court merely proceeded swiftly with 'delayed judicial justice' for Lee Jae-myung," adding, "The public shaming and intimidation of Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae is a people's court unfolding in broad daylight."
On the Democratic Party's push to establish a "sedition-dedicated panel," he pointed out, "It is obviously unconstitutional to set up a separate panel and designate judges from outside for a case that has already occurred." He then counterproposed, "Let's establish a 'panel dedicated to the Lee Jae-myung case' and proceed swiftly with the related judicial procedures."
He also took aim at the amendments to the Government Organization Act that would separate the prosecution's investigative and indictment powers to create the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Prosecution Office. Joo argued, "After stripping the prosecution of investigative authority, the Democratic Party is smashing the prosecution without even preparing bills on how to create and operate the Prosecution Office and the Investigation Agency," adding, "Those who will sleep soundly after the prosecution disappears are President Lee and the grandees of this administration, and those connected to Lee Jae-myung's power-related corruption."
He went on to criticize, "If the prosecution disappears, through what procedures and to which agency will the evidence and leads related to this power-related corruption, scattered across various prosecutors' offices, be transferred?"
Joo then warned, "The rampage the Democratic Party is committing today at the National Assembly is a big step toward dictatorship," adding, "If it does not stop here, the Lee Jae-myung administration will meet a miserable end." He continued, "As a legal professional who worked as a judge for many years, and as a parliamentarian who has watched the National Assembly for 20 years, I will not preside in this 'scene of judicial destruction.'"