Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae has decided not to appear at the "emergency hearing on alleged presidential election interference" scheduled for the 30th.
According to the National Assembly and the Supreme Court on the 28th, Chief Justice Cho submitted a statement of nonattendance to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 26th.
In the statement of nonattendance, Chief Justice Cho said, "This hearing, related to a ruling handed down by the Supreme Court in May, contains demands to explain the deliberation process concerning a pending case," adding, "This runs counter to Article 103 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, which guarantees the independence of the judiciary; Article 65 of the Court Organization Act, which provides for the confidentiality of the deliberation process; Article 8 of the Act on the Inspection and Investigation of State Administration, which sets limits on parliamentary investigations into trials; and Article 37 of the National Assembly Act, among other provisions and their intent."
He went on to say, "As someone who must comply with the Constitution and the law, I inform you that I cannot attend the hearing."
In response, Jeon Hyun-hee, a supreme council member of the Democratic Party of Korea and chair of the special committee for a comprehensive response to the three special counsels, said at a press briefing at the National Assembly that day, "It was none other than Chief Justice Cho who pulled the trigger for judicial reform," adding, "He must provide a full explanation for the series of issues that have aroused public suspicion and caused distrust in the judiciary, and he must apologize to the public."
She added, "Chief Justice Cho should keep in mind that the hearing on the 30th is the last chance and appear, once again I ask," and said, "The hearing is the last opportunity for Chief Justice Cho to restore trust in the judiciary and for the judiciary to be reborn as the people's judiciary."
Earlier, on the 22nd, the Legislation and Judiciary Committee decided, led by the ruling party, to hold the related hearing and selected Chief Justice Cho and others as witnesses. At the time, the Democratic Party thought it necessary to clarify points including the fact that in May, when President Lee Jae-myung was a presidential candidate, the Supreme Court en banc overturned and remanded the case in which the appellate court had acquitted President Lee in a public official election law case.