Cho Kuk urges Democrats to set vote date for Chief Justice Cho's impeachment
In short
Cho Kuk urged South Korea's Democratic Party on October 18 to set a parliamentary vote date for impeaching Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae. He criticised party leader Kim Min-seok's calls for discussion and demanded concrete action.
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Cho Kuk, head of the Rebuilding Korea Party's policy research institute, called on the Democratic Party on October 18 to move immediately towards impeaching Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae. In a Facebook post, he urged Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok to stop issuing vague messages about beginning discussions or formalising the issue and instead specify a date for a National Assembly plenary vote. He also criticised the party for relying on banners and task forces rather than taking action. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Cho linked the demand to the approaching end of Kim Keon-hee's detention period. He said the Supreme Court had scheduled October 22 for a second hearing rather than a ruling and warned that she could be released if no ruling date was set and no additional warrant was issued. These were his warnings about what could happen, rather than a reported release decision. He also accused the chief justice of political interference over the Supreme Court's pre-election ruling in Lee Jae-myung's case and criticised the handling of Supreme Court justice nominations. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Addressing concerns about a political backlash, Cho argued that judicial reform and work on everyday economic issues could proceed alongside one another. He acknowledged that he could not predict the Constitutional Court's conclusion if an impeachment case reached it, saying that court should judge whether there had been a serious legal violation. He nevertheless argued that parliament had the authority and duty to check the chief justice's conduct. Newsis reported that the Rebuilding Korea Party planned to disclose an impeachment motion on October 19. It said a chief justice's impeachment requires sponsorship by at least one-third of all lawmakers and approval by a majority of all lawmakers. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
Cho linked his demand to his warning that Kim Keon-hee could be released when her detention period expires without a ruling or an additional warrant. He acknowledged that the Constitutional Court's eventual decision on impeachment could not be predicted.
Key facts
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether impeachment would succeed in the Constitutional Court. Cho explicitly said he could not know what conclusion the court would reach.
- Whether Kim Keon-hee will be released when her detention period expires. The reports relay Cho's conditional warning, not an announced release decision.