'Impeachment Option' Against Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae Formalized: "Crossed a 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 has officially put the option of reviewing impeachment on the table. Hardline voices within the party have also emerged, saying that Chief Justice Cho has "crossed a river of no return."

Ha Jeongyeon reports in our top story.

[Reporter]

Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok announced today (October 16) that the party has begun discussions on whether to pursue the impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae.

[Kim Min-seok / Democratic Party Leader (YouTube 'Democratic Party TV'): "Because widespread demands regarding even the word 'impeachment' are already emerging, we have put all matters on the table and started discussions."]

Targeting Chief Justice Cho, the Democratic Party had previously maintained a cautious tone regarding pursuing impeachment while ramping up public pressure for his voluntary resignation, but it has now placed the impeachment card among its options.

Within the Democratic Party, Chief Justice Cho's refusal to re-recommend a Supreme Court Justice nominee, his refusal to take an oath during the parliamentary audit, and allegations of improper use of operational expenses are cited as grounds for impeachment.

Voices within the party calling for immediate impeachment have also grown louder:

[Park Gyun-taek / Democratic Party Lawmaker (YouTube 'Democratic Party TV'): "We must impeach; the time has clearly come to at least review it. Violating the National Assembly Act by refusing to take the witness oath (during the parliamentary audit) can be sufficient grounds for impeachment."]

One lawmaker told SBS, "Following the parliamentary audit, Chief Justice Cho has crossed a river of no return," adding, "We judged that there is no sign of remorse."

The Rebuilding Korea Party went so far as to propose co-sponsoring an impeachment motion with the Democratic Party.

On the other hand, the People Power Party claimed that the Democratic Party's real motive is to suspend Chief Justice Cho from his duties to prevent him from exercising his personnel appointment powers, thereby blocking the resumption of trials involving President Lee Jae-myung.

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

For the National Assembly to impeach a Chief Justice, approval from a majority of all sitting members is required, and the Democratic Party, holding a majority with 161 seats, is capable of passing the motion on its own.

If an impeachment motion passes, 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.