People Power Party: Democrats' Summons of Chief Justice Is 'Judicial Terror'

Until now, the practice has been for the Chief Justice to leave the audit after opening remarks, with answers handled by the Head of the National Court Administration. The People Power Party argued that the Democrats broke this practice, which both parties had maintained for decades to protect judicial and trial independence.

Article 103 of the Constitution stipulates that judges independently adjudicate under the Constitution and laws, and the People Power Party stressed that summoning the Chief Justice as a witness infringes on judges' independent adjudicative authority.

The party pointed out that the power to nominate Supreme Court justices under Article 104, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution is an inherent authority of the Chief Justice, and that the National Assembly summoning him as a witness to question how he exercised this power undermines the foundation of the separation of powers.

The People Power Party criticized the Democrats' aim in summoning the Chief Justice as an attempt to humiliate him and pressure him into stepping down.

The party argued that the person who should appear as a witness at the audit is Lee Jae-myung, who demanded the power to nominate Supreme Court justices, a power not provided for in the Constitution or laws, and warned that this would set a bad precedent for political pressure on future court rulings.