South Korea's Assembly Investigates Supreme Court Chief's Election Interference Allegations
South Korea's National Assembly convened a hearing to investigate allegations that Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de interfered in the June 3 presidential election. The hearing, however, proceeded without Jo, who declined to attend, citing judicial independence and confidentiality laws. The Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee believes a Supreme Court decision may have swayed the election outcome in favor of President Lee Jae Myung.
The committee suspects that Jo influenced a key ruling involving President Lee Jae Myung's alleged election law violation. They allege that Jo held a private meeting with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo before the election, discussing the Lee case. The committee described the chief justice's ruling as 'unreasonable' and a breach of procedural and legal principles.
The main opposition People Power Party denounced the hearing, with Floor Leader Rep. Song Eon-seog calling it a 'dark chapter' in Korea's constitutional history. Other senior judges and the Court Administration Director also declined to attend the hearing, standing in solidarity with Jo.
The ruling Democratic Party criticized the judiciary's show of contempt for parliamentary oversight and threatened further measures if questions remained unanswered. They have announced plans to exhaust all legal means to hold Chief Justice Jo accountable for violations against parliamentary control and influencing the election results.
The hearing, despite the absence of Chief Justice Jo Hee-de, has brought to light serious allegations that could potentially impact the integrity of South Korea's judicial system and election processes. The National Assembly and the ruling Democratic Party have made it clear that they will not tolerate any interference in the democratic process and will continue to investigate these allegations.
Read also:
- United States tariffs pose a threat to India, necessitating the recruitment of adept negotiators or strategists, similar to those who had influenced Trump's decisions.
- Weekly happenings in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Southwest region's most popular posts, accompanied by an inquiry:
- Discussion between Putin and Trump in Alaska could potentially overshadow Ukraine's concerns
