Chung Chung-rae urges Democrats to decide now on impeaching Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae

Chung Chung-rae, described by most outlets as the former leader of the Democratic Party, said on 21 October that deciding on the impeachment of Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae now was the "best policy". He made the remarks in a Facebook post, in which he said politics is about timing, that the grounds for impeachment were more than enough and that Cho's political conduct had gone too far. Newsis and one Chosun Ilbo report call him a Democratic Party lawmaker rather than a former leader. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]

Chung said Cho often invokes judicial independence, but called this another political argument riding on the principle of independence in trials. He asked whether Cho had immediately and publicly called the 12.3 martial law illegal, and what Cho did during the Seoul Western District Court riot. He also referred to what he called an attempt to strip Lee Jae-myung of his presidential candidacy, the refusal to re-nominate a Supreme Court justice, Cho's refusal to take an oath in the National Assembly and the business promotion expenses issue raised in the recent audit. He called this conduct unsuitable for continuing as chief justice and a violation of the spirit of the constitution. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]

Chung also said Kim Keon Hee might be released, and that if she were, the party would face strong criticism for not impeaching Cho. He said the grounds and justification for impeachment were sufficient, that public opinion was high, and that the party had no reason to hesitate. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]

He criticised the party leadership's idea of a parliamentary investigation, saying the public saw through the party's intent and suspected it did not want to impeach Cho. If the party could not do it, he said, it should say so honestly instead of stalling, adding that honesty is the best policy. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]

Chosun Ilbo reported that spokesperson Cho Gye-won said after the supreme council meeting that the party was considering a parliamentary investigation after the audit, as a procedure to check the concrete grounds for impeachment. Dong-A Ilbo reported that Kim Min-seok said on 16 October that all matters, methods and routes had been put up for discussion, but that spokesperson Lee Yong-woo said on 18 October the matter should be reviewed closely after the audit. [ 3 , 6 ]

Dong-A Ilbo said allies of Chung joined in. Supreme council member Han Min-soo said a decision should not be delayed until the moment is lost, and Choi Min-hee wrote on Facebook that she respected the cautious view but could hardly agree with it. Park Beom-kye, described as close to Kim Min-seok, said it was necessary first to check whether Cho would respond to a parliamentary investigation. The paper also said Kim Jun-hyung, floor leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, urged Han Byung-do to handle an impeachment motion quickly, and that Han reportedly gave no concrete answer. [ 6 ]