[Anchor]

In the constitutional history of South Korea, a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has never been impeached, nor has an impeachment motion ever been passed against one. Why, then, is the ruling party bringing up the card of reviewing the Chief Justice's impeachment at this particular moment? In an opinion poll released today (October 16), marking President Lee Jae-myung's 500th day in office, his approval rating stood at 39%. Analyses suggest this is an attempt to rally supporters and reverse the political momentum with an "impeachment card."

Reporter Go Jeong-hyeon reports.

[Reporter]

Today, on President Lee Jae-myung's 500th day in office, polling firm Gallup Korea released the results of a survey 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 during the second week of August and has remained in the 30% range across the four most recent surveys.

When asked about the general election scheduled in a year and six months, 34% answered that "many ruling party candidates should be elected," while 47% answered that "many opposition candidates should be elected."

Amid this situation, attention is focusing on the background behind Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok officially putting forward the option of considering the impeachment of Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae.

With strong "anti-Cho Hee-dae sentiment" among the broader pro-government base, analysts suggest this move is aimed at reducing the centrifugal force of defections among core supporters—sparked by controversies over prosecution reform and the appointment of the chief of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency—and consolidating the base.

This is because Chief Justice Cho's direct confrontation with President Lee by refusing to re-recommend a Supreme Court justice nominee serves as a centripetal force within the ruling camp.

[Cho Hee-dae / Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (October 6): "Interfering with the Chief Justice's recommendation is an unconstitutional measure that runs counter to the separation of powers between state institutions explicitly set forth in the Constitution and the independence of the judiciary."]

Within the broader ruling camp, a growing number of voices argue that the grounds for impeachment have already been met, citing Chief Justice Cho's remark targeting President Lee that "interference in recommendations is unconstitutional" and his refusal to take an oath as a witness during the parliamentary audit.

[Kim Gi-pyo / Democratic Party Lawmaker: "The grounds for impeachment are more than sufficient. Therefore, I insist that we must unconditionally move forward with impeachment at this stage."]

However, an impeachment motion could lead to an unprecedented constitutional crisis with the suspension of the Chief Justice's duties, potentially triggering a political backlash. In addition, the Constitutional Court may not issue a final ruling before Chief Justice Cho's retirement in June next year. Consequently, cautious views within parts of the ruling party remain formidable.

(Video by Shin Dong-hwan | Video Editing by Nam Il | Graphics by Jaegal Chan)