On the 15th, when reporters asked Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae on his way home, "Politicians are calling for your resignation. Do you have anything to say?" he gave no answer.
Kang Yu-jung, Presidential Office Spokesperson, said at a media briefing that morning that there was "no particular stance" on the call by Choo Mi-ae, Democratic Party of Korea Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chairperson, for Chief Justice Cho to step down, but added, "If there is a demand of the times and of the public, there is a need to look back on the plausibility and reasons as an appointed authority, and we fundamentally agree with that."
After reports suggested this meant President Lee Jae-myung agreed with calls for Chief Justice Cho to resign, Kang, the Spokesperson, said in a notice, "I mentioned fundamental agreement in the sense that an appointed authority should reconsider the position of elected power, and it is not a position on the resignation call itself." She then held an additional briefing and said, "The key is that I answered 'no position' to the reporter's question, and the subsequent remarks were a principled explanation," adding, "It is a misreading and a false report to take it to mean full agreement (with the resignation call). It is not true that the Presidential Office agrees with this matter."
Choo, the Chairperson, wrote on her Facebook on the 14th, "Chief Justice Cho cries 'judicial independence' under the pretext of defending the Constitution, but in fact is protecting an insurrectionist by delaying trial," adding, "For judicial independence, he should step down first."
Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae also publicly demanded a resignation at the supreme council meeting that day, saying, "The presidential election clearly showed that Chief Justice Cho emerged as the biggest political adversary to then-presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung," and, "Over the unexplainable suspicion regarding the judiciary's political neutrality, the chief justice should take responsibility, apologize, and resign."
Earlier, on the 12th, in a commemorative address for "Court Day," Chief Justice Cho said, "Above all, the independence of trials must be firmly guaranteed for the judiciary to fulfill its devoted mission." The National Court Presidents' Conference the same day also stated, "Judicial independence must be guaranteed to protect the basic rights of the people and to realize the rule of law." That position came after a meeting of more than seven hours by 42 officials, including Cheon Dae-yeop, chief of the National Court Administration, and court presidents at each level, on the "judicial reform" being pushed by the government and the ruling party. After that, political circles continued to call for Chief Justice Cho to resign.
Meanwhile, Chief Justice Cho's term runs until June 2027. The chief justice's term is six years. Although Chief Justice Cho began his term in Dec. 2023 after being nominated by former President Yoon Suk-yeol, he is set to retire before completing it, as he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70 in June 2027.