DP Formalizes Push to Impeach Chief Justice Cho: "Crossed the River of No Return"

[Anchor]

The Democratic Party has announced that it has begun discussions on whether to pursue the impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae. Party Leader Kim Min-seok formalized the move to put impeachment under review. Strong reactions also emerged from within the party, stating that Chief Justice Cho has "crossed the river of no return."

Ha Jeong-yeon reports as our top story.

[Reporter]

Democratic Party Leader Kim Min-seok stated today (October 16) that discussions have begun regarding the push to impeach Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae.

[Kim Min-seok / Democratic Party Leader (YouTube 'Minjoo Party TV'): "Because widespread demands for impeachment have already emerged, we have placed all matters on the table and started discussions."]

While the Democratic Party had previously mounted public pressure demanding Chief Justice Cho's voluntary resignation, it had maintained a cautious stance on actually pursuing impeachment. Now, the "impeachment card" has officially been placed on the table as an option.

Within the Democratic Party, grounds cited for pursuing impeachment include Chief Justice Cho's refusal to renominate Supreme Court justice candidates, refusal to take the oath at the parliamentary audit, and allegations of improper use of operational expenses.

Voices calling for immediate impeachment have also grown within the party.

[Park Gyun-taek / Democratic Party Lawmaker (YouTube 'Minjoo Party TV'): "We must impeach him; it is clearly time to at least examine it. (I believe) refusing to take the witness oath (at the parliamentary audit) violates the National Assembly Act and can fully serve as grounds for impeachment."]

One lawmaker told SBS that "Chief Justice Cho crossed the river of no return with the parliamentary audit as the turning point," adding that "we judged there is no room for remorse."

The Rebuilding Korea Party went so far as to propose jointly introducing an impeachment motion to the Democratic Party.

In contrast, the People Power Party claimed that the Democratic Party's real objective is to suspend Chief Justice Cho's duties to prevent him from exercising personnel authority, thereby blocking the resumption of trials involving President Lee Jae-myung.

[Jeong Jeom-sig / People Power Party Floor Leader: "If you are confident, go ahead and impeach Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae. The very moment the impeachment motion is introduced, the president will be reduced to a 'dead duck'—a loss of power even worse than a lame duck."]

For the National Assembly to pass an impeachment motion against the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, approval from a majority of all sitting lawmakers is required, meaning the Democratic Party, holding a majority with 161 seats, can pass the motion on its own.

If an impeachment motion is passed, the Constitutional Court will make the final decision on whether to remove him from office.

(Video by Shin Dong-hwan | Video Editing by Jang Hyeon-gi)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.