Lawyers' group "Concerned about the purpose of Cho Hee-dae's government investigation... means of putting pressure on the judiciary"

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Bitna Kim = On the 29th, a lawyer's group criticized the Democratic Party of Korea's push for a government investigation into Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, saying, "An investigation on the premise of impeachment degrades the government investigation into a means of pressuring the judiciary."

The non-profit lawyer group 'People Who Make Good Laws' issued a statement on this day and emphasized, "We are putting the head of the Supreme Court on the National Assembly testimony because we do not like the ruling," and added, "In the future, any judge will first consider the political fallout after the ruling rather than the legal principles in front of politically sensitive cases."

The group also criticized the inclusion of Chief Justice Cho's refusal to re-appoint a Supreme Court justice candidate as a reason for the government investigation, saying, "It is political pressure to bring up investigation and impeachment by questioning the exercise of constitutional authority."

He continued, “I am also concerned about the purpose of the government investigation,” and added, “If the purpose is not to reveal facts but to inform predetermined conclusions, then it is not an investigation but a trial of public opinion.”

The group urged the Democratic Party to stop the government investigation, saying, “Continuing investigations on the premise of impeachment without any confirmed violations is degrading the government investigation system into a means of pressuring the judiciary.”