[Anchor]

The Democratic Party staged a protest visit to the Supreme Court. Ramping up pressure by raising the possibility of a parliamentary investigation and a special counsel probe, the party also denounced Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae as "the lingering embers of an insurrection." The People Power Party hit back, calling the Democratic Party "hypocritical" and arguing that the root cause of this situation lies with President Lee Jae-myung.

Reporter Go Jeong-hyeon reports.

[Reporter]

Defining Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's refusal to re-recommend Supreme Court justice nominees as a "judicial coup and insurrection," the Democratic Party staged a party-level protest visit to the Supreme Court today (September 23).

[Han Byung-do / Democratic Party Floor Leader: They abruptly announced their position just two days before Chuseok. It is like stabbing the president in the back while he is away on an overseas tour….]

Chief Justice Cho was away from his office, having taken annual leave after arriving at work in the morning.

[Seo Young-kyo / Democratic Party Lawmaker: It might sound blunt to put it this way, but didn't he just run away?]

The Democratic Party mobilized meetings, briefings, and social media to demand Chief Justice Cho's resignation, using expressions such as "the revolt of the century" and "the lingering embers of an insurrection," while also raising the prospect of a parliamentary investigation and a special counsel probe.

[Kim Min-seok / Democratic Party Leader: This "revolt of the century" will serve as the trigger for judicial reform. We will utilize all powers of the National Assembly to investigate, summon, reprimand, and hold them legally accountable….]

The party also took issue with Chief Justice Cho's commuting hours and business expenses, including encouragement bonuses for Supreme Court justices flagged by the Board of Audit and Inspection, and threatened to pursue legislation to abolish the National Court Administration.

While calls for an impeachment motion are growing in some corners of the ruling camp, the Democratic Party leadership plans to focus for now on a public relations campaign highlighting what it calls the unconstitutional behavior of the Cho Hee-dae judiciary.

The People Power Party fired back, calling the ruling camp's stance "brazen double standards" and stating that the cause of this turmoil "lies with President Lee Jae-myung, who refuses to stand trial."

[Jang Dong-hyeok / People Power Party Leader: Ruling party lawmakers rushed to the front of the Supreme Court to prevent Lee Jae-myung from going to prison. The people will protect Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae.]

The party also said that "the National Assembly's right of consent was infringed upon by a demand for re-recommendation that lacks constitutional grounds," planning to determine where the responsibility lies through a competence dispute adjudication filed with the Constitutional Court.

(Video by Shin Dong-hwan | Video Editing by Yoo Mi-ra)