Political Tensions Rise Over Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's Impeachment

Political tensions between the Democratic Party and the People Power Party are escalating over the future of Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae. Amid this situation, the Justice Reform Party, which filed a complaint against Cho, is urging the Democratic Party to join its call for impeachment and is demanding a vote on the impeachment motion in the National Assembly.

According to political sources, both parties continued their exchanges regarding Cho on the 18th. The Democratic Party criticized the People Power Party, stating, "Do not protect Chief Justice Cho," while the People Power Party responded that it would use all means to block the impeachment efforts.

Previously, on the 16th, Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok officially mentioned the impeachment of Chief Justice Cho amid ongoing conflicts with the Blue House over the reappointment of Supreme Court justices.

At that time, Kim stated that in light of the mounting calls for Cho's impeachment, the party is reviewing all methods and pathways, saying, "We are now compiling reasons that justify 'he must resign.' We have initiated discussions within the party."

In response, the People Power Party declared it would mobilize all possible means to prevent the Democratic Party's impeachment attempts against Cho, signaling a deepening conflict between the two parties.

Floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik stated during a press conference on the morning of the same day regarding the National Assembly's audit issues, "The leader of the ruling party has publicly announced the push for the impeachment of the Chief Justice," adding, "This is an attempt to divert attention from the consequences of their incompetence and to regroup their support base. We will do everything possible to block the impeachment."

Senior spokesperson Park Seong-hoon also commented the previous day, stating, "The Democratic Party is now targeting the head of the judiciary for impeachment," and urged, "The Democratic Party must stop using impeachment as a political pressure tactic. The People Power Party will continue to defend judicial independence and constitutional order against reckless impeachment offensives."

The Justice Reform Party, which filed a complaint against Chief Justice Cho with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, is also urging the Democratic Party to join in the impeachment efforts.
 
The policy research director of the Justice Reform Party stated on Facebook, "The Democratic Party should join the Justice Reform Party's persistent calls for the impeachment of Cho Hee-dae," and demanded, "How long will you be dragged along by Cho's 'hand'? Leader Kim must stop sending vague messages like 'starting discussions' or 'formalizing' and propose a date for the vote on the impeachment motion in the National Assembly."