The Justice Party condemned the Seoul High Court's acquittal of O Se-hoon, the mayor of Seoul, on charges of violating political funding laws, calling it a "right-wing political declaration" by Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae.
Following the ruling on the afternoon of October 23, the party held a press conference where they expressed their disappointment, stating, "This is nothing short of a declaration of right-wing politics by the Cho Hee-dae judiciary."
Party leader Shin Jang-sik emphasized, "Surveys were conducted for the mayor's election, and the costs were covered by Kim Han-jeong, who is known as a supporter of the mayor. There is clearly collusion with political brokers. Yet, the court ruled in favor of the defendant. The judiciary has turned a blind eye to its own scales of justice, granting a free pass to illegal elections and political funding violations."
Shin also referenced the Supreme Court's decision last May to overturn a ruling against presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, questioning, "Why does the Cho Hee-dae judiciary show such leniency only towards conservative and far-right figures?"
He characterized the acquittal as a form of judicial "political retaliation" and called for the impeachment of Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae and the passage of legislation to dismantle the court administration.
Shin stated, "We must impeach Chief Justice Cho and pass the court organization law to create a truly fair South Korea where illegalities and privileges do not prevail."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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