The Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly visited the Supreme Court in Seocho-dong, Seoul, on the 15th for an on-site inspection. Following the 13th, the rival parties clashed once again over allegations that Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae interfered in the presidential election.
Chu Mi-ae, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker who serves as chairperson of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, signaled a fierce attack on the chief justice, writing on Facebook on the morning of the day that "the Supreme Court has destroyed judicial trust on its own with a nonsensical excuse."
Chairperson Chu cited the written response the Supreme Court submitted to the National Assembly and noted, "Even the explanation that 'the full bench is the principle' is different from the facts," adding, "The Supreme Court explained that the principle is for the full bench to hear cases, but according to the statistics the court submitted, the number of criminal full bench rulings over the past five years is only around 31." Of the Supreme Court's 118,384 criminal appeals over five years, 31 cases amount to just 0.026%.
Chairperson Chu said, "The Supreme Court said 'a swift process was needed because the first- and second-instance conclusions differed,' but the more divergent the judgments, the more cautious one should be," criticizing that "the answer that 'the presidential election was just around the corner, so we acted quickly' admits the politicization of the judiciary."
Chairperson Chu stressed, "The answers the Supreme Court put forward have neither legal persuasiveness nor any sincerity that would convince the public," adding, "Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, to shield allegations of his own abuse of authority, is holding hostage more than 3,000 judges who are conducting fair trials on the front lines while invoking judicial independence."
The ruling party leadership also pressed the chief justice. Party leader Jung Chung-rae of the Democratic Party of Korea said at the supreme council meeting at the National Assembly on the morning of the day, "At the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the cowardly and arrogant chief justice Cho's disregard for the people and feigned ignorance in silence sparked public anger." Regarding the rejection of the arrest warrant for former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae, he asked, "Is this the court's advocacy of insurrection?" and added, "The Democratic Party will continue to pursue the truth until the facts of the insurrection are uncovered and everyone involved is punished."
Supreme council member Jeon Hyun-hee also emphasized, "We will certainly reveal the full picture of Han Duck-soo's succession of insurrection and presidential bid project, which is intertwined with the unprecedented allegation that the Supreme Court interfered in the presidential election," adding, "The on-site inspection of the Supreme Court is the people's mandate to thoroughly investigate the truth of the 5.1 judicial coup."
The opposition People Power Party strongly pushed back. People Power Party lawmakers on the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee criticized the on-site inspection of the Supreme Court, saying, "The Democratic Party's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Chu Mi-ae's Legislation and Judiciary Committee is effectively raiding the Supreme Court, the heart of Korea's judiciary, based on a believe-it-or-not concocted recording fabricated from rumors."
Lawmaker Na Kyung-won held a press conference in front of the main gate of the Supreme Court on the morning of the day and said, "With baseless, fabricated recordings, they create false rumors, incite with lies, and, using that fiction as a pretext, threaten the public with a magistrate's trial—'you have confessed your own sins'—and a people's court to seize control even of the Supreme Court," adding, "Today's on-site inspection and the parliamentary audit are, in both form and substance, products of illegality and irregularity."
Na went on to say, "Even the procedure was railroaded without any consultation or agreement. The purpose is to snoop around the chief justice's and justices' offices, peek into their computers, and shake everything down until they find something to nitpick, then put them in the pillory to shame them and hold a people's court, a trial by public opinion," adding, "In the end, what the Democratic Party and President Lee are aiming for is clear: to secure not-guilty verdicts in the five criminal trials of Lee Jae-myung and churn out a guilty judgment in the insurrection narrative."
The People Power Party also argued that Kim Hyun-ji, the presidential office's secretary to the president for administrative affairs, should be called to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit. Na said, "Today we requested Secretary Kim Hyun-ji, attorney Seol Ju-wan, and lawmaker Choi Ki-sang as witnesses," and emphasized, "Chairperson Chu Mi-ae says Kim should be called by the Steering Committee, but what we are seeking is not about her duties as secretary to the president for administrative affairs or as senior secretary for general affairs, but about her attempts as President Lee's aide to suborn perjury or destroy evidence."
She added, "Regarding the suspicions raised at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Secretary Kim should come forward confidently and testify."
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok also posted on Facebook on the day, writing, "The true nature of 'Joneom Hyeonji' is gradually surfacing," and criticizing, "Before Chuseok, the police made a big move, so it seems time for a special counsel to make a move to help 'Joneom Hyeonji.' I have a feeling."