Despite the Supreme Court's notice, through regulations, of a plan to set up a dedicated insurrection panel within the courts, the Democratic Party of Korea called it a "trick" and said it will place the bill to create a dedicated insurrection panel on the floor on the 23rd as scheduled. The People Power Party urged its immediate withdrawal, saying there is no longer any reason to pass the dedicated panel bill.
Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae said at the Supreme Council meeting on the 19th, "The Supreme Court says it will enact regulations on the establishment of a dedicated panel and on hearing procedures. You should have done that earlier," adding, "Up to now, the Jo Hee-de judiciary has shown no will to settle the insurrection issue, only obstructed it, and is now making a belated pretense. This amounts to deceiving and mocking the public."
Jung said, "On the contrary, it more clearly proves why a special law to establish panels dedicated to insurrection and treason is needed," adding, "Since the Jo Hee-de judiciary has agreed with the insurrection dedicated panel that the National Assembly is trying to push forward, we hope there will be no further opposition." As the Supreme Court decided to enact regulations allowing courts at all levels to have dedicated panels for insurrection, treason, and rebellion cases deemed nationally important or in need of swift handling, the argument that "establishing an insurrection-dedicated panel is unconstitutional" has lost ground.
He then said the Democratic Party's special law to establish dedicated panels for insurrection and treason, along with its judicial reform plan, will be pursued as originally planned and passed without a hitch.
Jung said, "The Supreme Court's regulation is just a regulation. It can be changed at any time. It is like a candle that goes out when the wind blows. If Chief Justice Jo Hee-de has a change of heart, he can abolish it whenever he wants, just as he seems to make up stories as he pleases," adding, "No one will be fooled by the trick of trying to block the Democratic Party's law to establish a dedicated insurrection panel with a regulation, which is a lower-level norm than an enforcement decree. If the regulation and the law have similar aims, it is important to nail it down in a stable way in law."
The Democratic Party cites "stability" as the reason for pressing ahead with its own plan. If a dedicated panel is pursued through the judiciary's internal rules, it can be reversed, so the party says the legal basis must be firmly established through legislation. Internally, there is analysis that the Supreme Court's in-house plan is based on the principle of "random assignment," which could lead to the emergence of a "second Jee Kui-youn panel." The Democratic Party's plan would first form a recommendation committee through the National Representative Council of Judges and judges' conferences at each court level to set up the dedicated panel.
The People Power Party urged the immediate withdrawal of the plan to establish a dedicated insurrection panel, saying, "With the Supreme Court establishing regulations, the reason for the Democratic Party's unconstitutional bill to create a dedicated insurrection panel has disappeared."
Floor leader Song Won-seok said at a floor countermeasures meeting that day, "(The Democratic Party) put a new coat of paint on its revision for the dedicated insurrection panel, but nothing has changed about the essence that it is clearly unconstitutional," adding, "Saying they will form a panel recommendation body centered on judges' conferences at each level amounts to a political scheme to stack the panel with judges to their liking and keep whipping up insurrection through the local elections."
Responding to the claim, Democratic Party chief spokesperson Park Soo-hyun met reporters after the meeting and countered, saying, "How is this the Democratic Party unilaterally forcing through a law?"
Park, the chief spokesperson, said, "Most people agree that settling the insurrection issue has not been fair or swift," adding, "It makes no sense for the legislature not to respond to the public's anxiety that on Jan. 18 next year, insurrection ringleader Yoon Suk-yeol might be released."