Moon Hyeong-bae, former acting president of the Constitutional Court, said on the 20th that he opposes the ruling party's current judicial reform plans, including the constitutional complaint against court judgments, and that they are not something to push through right now.
Moon said during a special lecture of the 2025 Inje Lecture Series held at the main auditorium of Jang Yeong-sil Hall at Inje University in South Gyeongsang, "A constitutional complaint against court judgments means that when there is dissatisfaction with a Supreme Court ruling, which is the third instance, you send it to the Constitutional Court—in plain terms, it would create a fourth instance," adding, "It is also questionable whether there is constitutional grounds for the Constitutional Court to nullify Supreme Court rulings."
He said, "A majority of Constitutional Court justices do not receive National Assembly consent, whereas all Supreme Court justices do, so does it not appear that the Supreme Court is superior?" and added, "My view is that, when we made our Constitution, there was no idea that the Constitutional Court stands above the Supreme Court."
Moon said, "If the Supreme Court errs, you can change the statute, but the Constitutional Court adjudicates by the Constitution, so the more dangerous institution is the Constitutional Court," adding, "It is risky to concentrate power in the hands of Constitutional Court justices when a majority have not even received National Assembly consent." He then cited the past ruling that the administrative capital transfer was unconstitutional as an example.
Recalling his most memorable moment at the Constitutional Court, he said, "Lawyers cannot make the world good, but they can block what is bad—that is my conviction, and what best showed it was this impeachment upholding decision," adding, "I believe it was most rewarding that eight Constitutional Court justices, after debating solely under the Constitution and the law, concluded there was no answer other than upholding impeachment."