Why the Unprecedented 'Impeachment Card'? A Gamble to Rally Supporters

[Anchor]

A survey by pollster Gallup shows President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating standing at 39% as he marks 500 days in office. With his rating hovering in the 30% range for four consecutive polls, analysis suggests the Democratic Party is playing an unprecedented card—weighing the impeachment of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court—to break through the political impasse.

Reporter Go Jeong-hyeon reports.

[Reporter]

Yesterday (October 16), marking President Lee Jae-myung's 500th day in office, polling firm Gallup Korea released survey results conducted over three days starting October 13 among 1,003 adults aged 18 and older nationwide, showing President Lee's approval rating at 39%.

According to the Gallup survey, President Lee's approval rating fell below 50% for the first time in a poll during the second week of August and has remained in the 30% range across the last four polls.

When public sentiment was surveyed regarding the general election scheduled in a year and six months, 34% responded that "more ruling party candidates should be elected," while 47% said "more opposition party candidates should be elected."

In this situation, attention is focused on the background behind Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok officially putting forward the card of considering the impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae.

Analysts say that given the strong "anti-Cho Hee-dae sentiment" among the broader ruling camp's supporters, the move is also calculated to consolidate the base and counter centrifugal forces, such as the breakaway of the so-called "core supporters" amid controversies surrounding prosecution reform and the appointment of the head of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency.

This is because the very situation in which Chief Justice Cho is in head-on conflict with President Lee by refusing to recommend an alternative nominee for Supreme Court justice serves as a centripetal force within their political bloc.

[Cho Hee-dae / Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (October 6): "Interfering with the Chief Justice's recommendation is an unconstitutional act that violates the distribution of powers among state institutions explicitly set forth in the Constitution as well as judicial independence."]

Within the broader ruling camp, views are also growing that grounds for impeachment have already been established, citing Chief Justice Cho's statement toward President Lee that "interference with the recommendation is unconstitutional" and his refusal to take a witness oath during the parliamentary audit.

[Kim Ki-pyo / Democratic Party Lawmaker: "The grounds for impeachment are more than sufficient. That is why I insist that we must unconditionally impeach him in this current situation."]

However, an impeachment motion could lead to an unprecedented event in constitutional history—the suspension of the Chief Justice's duties—sparking potential political backlash. In addition, the Constitutional Court might not even issue a final ruling before Chief Justice Cho retires next June, leaving voices of caution within parts of the ruling party equally formidable.

(Video by Shin Dong-hwan | Video Editing by Nam Il | Design by Jaegal Chan)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.