The Democratic Party has criticized Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae after he conveyed his intention to refuse a summons to appear as a witness in the parliamentary audit of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, calling it a "violation of the National Assembly Act."

Representative Seo Young-kyo, chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, held a press conference at the National Assembly today (October 4) and said, "Chief Justice Cho submitted a written statement regarding the summons ahead of the parliamentary audit of the Supreme Court on October 6," adding, "He stated that it is difficult for him to attend and answer questions as a witness."

Representative Seo continued, "Every time the National Assembly asks for explanations regarding pending judicial matters, (Chief Justice Cho) repeatedly refuses to attend under the pretext of judicial independence," criticizing, "Continuously refusing summonses to appear before the National Assembly amounts to rejecting legislative checks and scrutiny."

Noting that the committee summoned Chief Justice Cho as a general witness rather than an institutional witness, Seo argued that under the current Act on Testimony and Appraisal, etc. before the National Assembly, Chief Justice Cho is obligated to appear, stating, "Refusing to attend is a violation of the National Assembly Act."

Representative Seo further urged Chief Justice Cho to "take the witness stand and answer directly before the public," saying, "Chief Justice Cho is not a sanctuary, and judicial independence is not a shield that permits silence over unconstitutional acts."

In the written statement, Chief Justice Cho reportedly stated, "Considering the duty to comply with the Constitution and the law, and the situation where investigative proceedings could potentially take place, it is difficult to appear and answer questions as a witness."

He also reportedly argued, "For the National Assembly to require the Chief Justice to testify regarding the exercise of nomination rights, which is an independent constitutional authority of the Chief Justice, runs counter to the spirit of the separation of powers reflected in Article 104, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, as well as the independence of judicial power."

Regarding the National Assembly's summons, Cho also reportedly wrote that it "not only exceeds the limits of the separation of powers in a parliamentary audit, but also does not align with the spirit of Article 121 of the National Assembly Act, which does not impose an obligation on the Chief Justice to appear and answer questions before the National Assembly."

(Photo: Yonhap News)