Rep. Park Jie-won: "Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae Is Unprecedented, Impeachment Is Also Being Considered… Jeju Police Misconduct? Fears Turned into Reality"

- President Lee's approval rating rebound? It will rise further with ruling party-government-presidential office tax consultations
- Public sentiment among 'non-resident single-homeowners' was well conveyed by the party to the government
- Must adapt to Lee's style of making policy process public and gathering feedback
- Installing bathtubs in studio rooms (gosiwon)? A foolish mistake… Must fix after criticism
- Cho Hee-dae broke the convention on Supreme Court justice discussions in an anomalous way
- Resolve through re-recommendation… Must coordinate until the end even if opinions differ
- Should resign even for Cho Hee-dae's own honor… Impeachment also under review
- Kim Min-seok putting up 'Cho Hee-dae Resign' banners nationwide? A good choice
- Jeju police falsely closing missing persons case? Concerns have materialized into reality
- Make a fresh start, establish systems, and supervise through Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and Prosecution Office
- Noh Woong-rae acquitted? Would be an active lawmaker if not for Han Dong-hoon… Apology needed
- Reinstatement in next general election? Depends on new leadership… I would have given him nomination
 
■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show (FM 103.5 MHz 7:00 – 9:00)
■ Date: August 24, 2026 (Monday)
■ Host: Lawyer Kim Tae-hyun
■ Guest: Rep. Park Jie-won of the Democratic Party of Korea
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : He is someone we meet every other week. Let's speak with 9-dan political veteran, Democratic Party of Korea Lawmaker Park Jie-won. Hello, Lawmaker.
 
[Park Jie-won] : Hello.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Lawmaker, a Gallup Korea poll came out on Friday, and the president's approval rating rebounded for the first time in a month.
 
[Park Jie-won] : That's right. It will go up even more this week.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : However, this Gallup survey was conducted via telephone interviews from August 18 to 20, and detailed information can be found on the National Election Survey Deliberation Committee website. It is very good for the president that it went up, but in Seoul, it dropped by 10 percentage points.
 
[Park Jie-won] : To 32%.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : But Seoul is important, isn't it?
 
[Park Jie-won] : That's because of real estate.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : As expected.
 
[Park Jie-won] : But yesterday, Leader Kim Min-seok held the first tripartite coordination meeting among the ruling party, the government, and the presidential office since taking office. It clearly showed why party-government-presidential consultations take place and why the Democratic Party exists.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : In what aspect?
 
[Park Jie-won] : He made several requests to the government, including issues regarding single-homeowner households and the comprehensive real estate holding tax. The government responded positively, and in fact, all the newspapers this morning evaluated it favorably.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : In the end, Leader Kim Min-seok proposed easing regulations and sanctions on non-resident single-homeowners.
 
[Park Jie-won] : That's right. When I met the president before, I also told him to look into this issue seriously.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : You did as well, Lawmaker?
 
[Park Jie-won] : Regardless, what the party and the National Assembly do is visit local constituencies, so they hear the voices of the public the most.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : That's true.
 
[Park Jie-won] : Leader Kim Min-seok organized this well and demonstrated why tripartite consultation is necessary. That is why I believe the approval rating will rise starting this week.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : In short, you are saying the party played a very positive and beneficial role by checking public sentiment and delivering it to the government and the presidential office.
 
[Park Jie-won] : It played a positive role.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : In any case, you believe Leader Kim Min-seok did well in proposing regulatory easing for non-resident single-homeowners regarding the comprehensive real estate tax, right?
 
[Park Jie-won] : That's correct.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Lawmaker, Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik said yesterday: "The tax reform plan was not announced unilaterally, but announced as a starting point to listen to public opinions." In other words, it sounds like what the government announced was not a finalized plan, but rather put forward first to gauge public reaction. Is this really desirable?
 
[Park Jie-won] : It doesn't mean that. I wrote something similar two weeks ago, but in past administrations, tax policies or national policies were decided behind closed doors and then just announced. And then implemented. What is unique about the Lee Jae-myung administration is, for example, broadcasting Cabinet meetings entirely live and sharing the policy decision-making process together with the public. It is made transparent. So I actually voiced some dissatisfaction before. Because when that happens and the process gets reported...
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Rather causing confusion?
 
[Park Jie-won] : Rather, there are many cases where the public takes that process as the finalized policy.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : That could happen.
 
[Park Jie-won] : But what Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik said yesterday seems to align with what I said.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Really?
 
[Park Jie-won] : It means it is not a final decision, but since we make the process public, we are currently gathering your opinions, and once finalized, a good proposal will emerge—it is a forecast and advance notice. And in a democracy, that cannot be viewed as a bad thing.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : But the market reacted somewhat negatively.
 
[Park Jie-won] : That's why the market also needs to adapt to such things.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : To the style of the Lee Jae-myung administration?
 
[Park Jie-won] : That's right.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Understood. Meanwhile, as discussed in the economic segment earlier, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport considered a measure allowing—not mandating, but permitting—the installation of bathtubs in gosiwon (single-room studio accommodations), leaving it up to the operators' choice, and then decided to reconsider it after facing criticism. Along with the youth scrap-bus issue, it feels like they completely fail to understand the mindset of the 2030 generation. Lawmaker, why do you think such things keep happening?
 
[Park Jie-won] : They try to understand it.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : It's not easy.
 
[Park Jie-won] : When trying to come up with ideas, they came up with the worst possible idea.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : The worst idea?
 
[Park Jie-won] : Yes. So while they made such a foolish blunder, once it is pointed out, it must be corrected.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Understood. Currently, the hottest issue is the selection of Supreme Court justices. The situation has already unfolded. From the president's perspective, this matter needs to be resolved. What approach do you think is best?
 
[Park Jie-won] : I know because I have handled it before. The Supreme Court says this and that, but originally, for recommending and submitting proposals for Supreme Court justices, the presidential office and the National Court Administration coordinate in advance.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : When you say you have done it, do you mean back during the Kim Dae-jung administration when you were at the Blue House?
 
[Park Jie-won] : Yes. This morning, Senior Reporter Seong Han-yong's Hankyoreh column 'Behind the Scenes' also laid out such cases. Everyone did it.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Coordinating behind the scenes and making the final decision...
 
[Park Jie-won] : For example, discussing what they think about Lawyer Kim Tae-hyun for this Supreme Court seat.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Thank you.
 
[Park Jie-won] : And if they say that person was not great while serving as an SBS anchor...
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : (Laughter) Eliminated.
 
[Park Jie-won] : (Laughter) Might be eliminated.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes.
 
[Park Jie-won] : They coordinate good candidates mutually. What is wrong with this? Democracy means communicating and coordinating; that is a kind of customary practice. When there was talk of moving the capital from Seoul, didn't the Constitutional Court rule based on customary constitutional law that Seoul is the capital? The problem is acting anomalously contrary to what has been done up until now.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Whether it was Democratic or conservative administrations, they have continuously done so.
 
[Park Jie-won] : Everyone did it. I told you, I did it myself.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Then why do you think Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae didn't do that this time? In terms of the outcome.
 
[Park Jie-won] : Well, I don't know that either.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : An incident has already occurred. Now it must be resolved. What way do you think would be best to resolve it?
 
[Park Jie-won] : I think re-recommendation is the way: the presidential office should return the candidate deemed unacceptable—the one person from last time. For the other person who was agreed upon, send that name to the National Assembly to proceed with the appointment process.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : One proceeds with the appointment process, and the other?
 
[Park Jie-won] : Return it.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Re-recommendation?
 
[Park Jie-won] : That's why Seong Han-yong's Hankyoreh column this morning also said re-recommendation is the answer. That is how it should be done.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : But regarding the re-recommendation, it appears the person the presidential office wants is Senior Judge Kim Min-ki.
 
[Park Jie-won] : If the person the presidential office wants is Senior Judge Kim Min-ki, they should coordinate with the National Court Administration. Even if the court says it is absolutely impossible, they should try to coordinate again. Making a unilateral decision without even trying to coordinate means the Chief Justice is denying precedent, the spirit of the law, and democracy.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Regarding the four candidates submitted by the Supreme Court Justice Recommendation Committee, couldn't they return everything to square one and restart the recommendation process from the beginning?
 
[Park Jie-won] : That is also wrong. The fact that the Supreme Court called all the candidates to ask whether they intend to withdraw...
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : In order to restart?
 
[Park Jie-won] : Asking about their intention to withdraw is itself wrongdoing by the Supreme Court. Why do they never talk about their own wrongdoing and only talk about that day and night? This is also a major problem.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Understood. But toward Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, Leader Kim Min-seok said last week: "Mr. Cho Hee-dae, step down."
 
[Park Jie-won] : He should step down.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Then impeachment?
 
[Park Jie-won] : I also said at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee that if he is going to act like that, he should step down. This is not right. Just look. When Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae overturned and remanded President Lee Jae-myung's acquittal in the appellate trial, he did it within two days at the en banc bench. He ignored procedure and degraded the credibility of the trial. As a lawyer, you know well: if a presiding judge hands down a ruling without even reviewing the defendant's records, would that have credibility? A 70,000-page file amounts to 600 books. 500 to 600 books. How can anyone read all that in just a few hours? They claim to have read it all, but as you know, in court, viewing paper records constitutes evidence. Claiming to have viewed electronic records does not count. And in fact, when our Democratic Party went to the Supreme Court to check, they hadn't even logged in.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Really?
 
[Park Jie-won] : Then isn't that a lie?
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : You are saying Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae should resign. I understand his term lasts until around June next year.
 
[Park Jie-won] : Whether it's June or next month, if one has done wrong, isn't stepping down the standard principle?
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Immediately? When do you see the deadline being?
 
[Park Jie-won] : Exactly.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : You must have a deadline in mind, Lawmaker. By when should he step down?
 
[Park Jie-won] : No. I cannot speak thoughtlessly about the Chief Justice like that, but if he continues these wrongdoings, for the sake of the judiciary he loves, for the juniors he loves, and for the honor of the Chief Justice himself, if there are wrongs committed, I believe it is best for him to step down.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Lawmaker, you don't think Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae will step down quietly, do you?
 
[Park Jie-won] : No one knows that. Public opinion will decide.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : If he doesn't step down, will you move for impeachment?
 
[Park Jie-won] : It is true that impeachment is being considered.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : By the party?
 
[Park Jie-won] : Yes.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Not just the individual opinions of a few lawmakers?
 
[Park Jie-won] : I also said at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, isn't Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae an unprecedented Chief Justice?
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Spokesperson Park Sung-joon also used that expression yesterday, calling him an unprecedented Chief Justice.
 
[Park Jie-won] : I coined that phrase.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : The original author is right here.
 
[Park Jie-won] : He is an unprecedented Chief Justice. If he doesn't step down, what the National Assembly can do is impeachment. Whether the Constitutional Court upholds it or not is up to the Constitutional Court. Even so, his duties would be suspended during that time. What good is a paralyzed Chief Justice?
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : There could be a gain from the suspension of duties.
 
[Park Jie-won] : That's right.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : But impeaching the Chief Justice could potentially cause a political backlash.
 
[Park Jie-won] : One must not fear backlash. We need a Chief Justice who is just and leads the judiciary properly. Not a Chief Justice who disregards judicial procedures and everything else, ignoring established customs for Supreme Court justice nominations. Where in the law does it say he must appoint only the specific people he wants to appoint?
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Leader Kim Min-seok referred to him as "Mr. Cho Hee-dae" and ordered banners hung nationwide. How do you view that response? Some say it is too harsh a response from a ruling party leader.
 
[Park Jie-won] : I think he did well. It is meant to rally public opinion. It appeals to public opinion.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Have you put them up in your constituency as well, Lawmaker?
 
[Park Jie-won] : Not yet.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Are you planning to put them up?
 
[Park Jie-won] : Since guidelines came down from the party, we should put them up now. Everyone should.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Understood. And Lawmaker, we should touch upon this: with the abolition of supplementary investigation authority, there are concerns regarding the police. And with another missing persons case mismanaged in Jeju, there are worries about whether the police can be left like this and trusted.
 
[Park Jie-won] : Seeing that, one feels both frustrated and helpless with the police. Concerns truly materialized into reality, but since there is still an opportunity, I believe it is good to give the police a chance to make a fresh start and do well again. We cannot simply discard them entirely.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Shouldn't the ruling party create fundamental improvement measures for this?
 
[Park Jie-won] : Pardon?
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Whenever an incident occurs, they conduct a full inspection, punish those involved, stay quiet until another incident occurs, and then conduct another full inspection. What's needed is preventing incidents from occurring.
 
[Park Jie-won] : We must ensure incidents don't happen. Once the new system is in place, the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials must continuously supervise and push them to perform well.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Understood. Former Lawmaker Noh Woong-rae was found not guilty, up through the second appellate trial. Then the president posted a statement on social media that looked like an apology, saying something like, "Senior, I am sorry I couldn't give you a nomination because of this." Why do you think the president posted that?
 
[Park Jie-won] : Why do you call him former Lawmaker Noh Woong-rae? If it weren't for Han Dong-hoon, he would be an active lawmaker.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Officially, he is a former lawmaker.
 
[Park Jie-won] : That is what's bad. Minister Han Dong-hoon explained and claimed he even heard the rustling sound of money being counted.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : During the arrest motion debate.
 
[Park Jie-won] : Yes, during the arrest motion. So I said back then: I have given a lot of money and received a lot of money, but I have never heard a rustling sound. Does that make any sense? If he had such concrete evidence, why was he found not guilty in the first trial and not guilty in the second trial?
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Right.
 
[Park Jie-won] : And at that time, wasn't President Lee Jae-myung the party leader?
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : That's correct.
 
[Park Jie-won] : That's why, having excluded him from nominations during reform nominations, how apologetic must he feel? Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon is now saying what, "Let's listen to the rustling sound"? What kind of talk is that? He should take responsibility, admit he was wrong, and apologize.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Then Lawmaker, since former Lawmaker Noh Woong-rae hasn't left the party, reinstatement for the next general election?
 
[Park Jie-won] : That is a matter for the leadership to decide, not for me to decide.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Because in that constituency, Committee Chair Lee Ji-eun also...
 
[Park Jie-won] : In any case, it feels very regrettable even to call him a former lawmaker. And Lawmaker Noh Woong-rae and I have stayed in touch continuously, and while it is truly regrettable, whether to nominate him next time is a matter for the new leadership to decide. If I were the nominator, I would give it to him.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : "If I were the nominator, I would give it." Understood.
 
[Park Jie-won] : I am not the nominator.
 
[Kim Tae-hyun] : Understood. We will conclude here. That was Democratic Party Lawmaker Park Jie-won. Thank you.
 
[Park Jie-won] : Thank you.

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