DP's Kim Min-seok in Controversy over Insulting Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae…Who is Pushed to the Brink?

During an open Supreme Council meeting, Rep. Kim Min-seok referred to Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae as 'Mr.' and demanded his resignation, saying, "Get out immediately." Kim then strongly criticized Chief Justice Cho, using the expression, "the worst Chief Justice since liberation."

Panelist Park Sang-gyu pointed out that under the constitution, the impeachment of the Chief Justice is not possible for the reasons mentioned by Rep. Kim Min-seok. He assessed Rep. Kim Min-seok's remarks as being based on legal ignorance.

Noh Kyung-pil, Head of the National Court Administration, testified before the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee about the Chief Justice's written recommendation and consultation with the Blue House. Noh stated that he had completed discussions with Han Chan-sik, Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, on the method of written recommendation, and that the Blue House had refused an interview, leading to the recommendation being submitted in writing.

Attempts to appoint Judge Kim Min-ki as the first female Supreme Court Justice have been ongoing for several months. These attempts raise concerns about conflicts of interest and the balance of the Supreme Court's composition.

Former Minister Cho Kuk criticized Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae for disregarding custom and being disrespectful. Former Minister Cho criticized Chief Justice Cho on the grounds that he disrespected the president.

The panelist believed that impeaching the Chief Justice based on custom lacked justification. They also predicted that such an attempt would backfire and that Chairman Lee Jae-myung would likely not make such an attempt.

It is known that Jeong Jeom-sik, floor leader, discussed the results of his visit with former President Park Geun-hye along with three-term and four-term lawmakers. The panelist stated that Jeong Jeom-sik seemed to be trying to pressure the Jang Dong-hyuk leadership system through former President Park Geun-hye. This is interpreted as an attempt to shake up the party leadership and appears to have been carried out under the pretext of gathering opinions from veteran lawmakers.

It is said that all district chapter chairpersons will collectively resign, submit their resignations to the party leader, and the organizational reform committee will discuss and put it to a party member vote. This is interpreted as an attempt to break away from the tradition of recognizing vested interests and introduce a democratic nomination method for re-electing district chapter chairpersons through a vote of all party members.

Jangnok Wetland is located 7 meters from the Gwangju Military Airport site, and the Ramsar wetland designation review is scheduled for September-October. If designated as a wetland, large-scale development in the vicinity may be restricted, posing an obstacle to attracting the Gwangju semiconductor factory.

Regarding the silence of the Gwangju Federation for Environmental Movement, claims of a double standard (whataboutism) were made, comparing it to their stance during other projects such as the THAAD base in the past. The panelist criticized it as similar to the left's silence on sexual misconduct issues during the Park Won-soon and Oh Keo-don eras.

As the Democratic Party pushes for a special law on Yongsan development and expresses its intention to build youth rental housing, Mayor Oh Se-hoon is opposing it, showing moves to establish a foothold for his political comeback. The panelist analyzed that Mayor Oh Se-hoon appears to be seizing the Yongsan development as an opportunity to utilize it in the presidential race.

It was mentioned that the strategic choice of Chairman Kim Min-seok is important, as lawmakers in the Han River Belt are feeling burdened by real estate tax and development issues. The possibility of Kim Min-seok's strategic choice being linked to his presidential candidacy was raised, and it was predicted that the Democratic Party's momentum to push ahead would weaken if approval ratings decline.

Panelist Park Sang-gyu criticized Rep. Ahn Gyu-baek for denying Chairman Lee Jae-myung's 'no thanks' remark to Trump. Although Rep. Ahn claimed 'there was no such thing as no thanks' and defended it as a fact-based remark, it was pointed out that this was a distortion of facts that contradicted foreign media reports.

Regarding former President Trump's definitive statement that North Korea possesses 57 nuclear warheads, the panelist interpreted this as a precise figure based on intelligence that only a U.S. president would know. This remark is seen as a display of control over Kim Jong-un and an attempt to make resolving the ICBM issue his achievement ahead of the November midterm elections. Trump's statement, as part of his North Korea strategy, is intended to pressure North Korea and strengthen his domestic political standing. Specifically, by revealing the number of nuclear warheads, he is materializing North Korea's nuclear threat and sending a message that implies the U.S.'s capability to respond.

It has been reported that Rep. Kim Jun-hwan told Rep. Park Choong-kwon, a defector, "You are people who shouted 'Long live Kim Il-sung.' Be careful," as Rep. Park was exiting a National Assembly meeting, causing controversy. This remark is criticized as hate speech targeting a defector lawmaker and is creating a significant stir in political circles. Rep. Park Choong-kwon stated that Rep. Kim Jun-hwan made the remark while letting go of his hand.

Rep. Kim Jun-hwan's past record of serving as the 2nd and 3rd Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) during Park Jie-won's tenure as NIS Director was pointed out. The panelist criticized Rep. Kim for playing a leading role in transferring anti-communist investigation powers to the police during the Moon Jae-in administration, which, according to them, made spy investigations impossible. This links Rep. Kim Jun-hwan's past career to the current controversy over his remarks, leading to criticism of his political judgment.

The situation where Chairman Lee Seok-yeon, head of the Presidential Committee for National Cohesion, continuously criticizes the Presidential Office through broadcasts is drawing attention. The panelist criticized the Presidential Office for inappropriately issuing a warning to Chairman Lee, stating that a committee chairman directly under the president can offer harsh criticism as a subordinate. Chairman Lee's determined remarks are interpreted as a strong warning to the Presidential Office.

Criticism arose that Secretary Kang Hoon-sik's delivery of a congratulatory message for Rep. Kim Min-seok's inauguration as party leader was blatant interference in party affairs. The panelist argued that if such an incident had occurred under past conservative administrations, it would have been grounds for impeachment, and that the current behavior of the Presidential Office demonstrates its intention to intervene in the party. These allegations of party interference are causing significant controversy in political circles.

With National Assembly member Jeon Eun-soo appointed as the floor spokesperson and former Blue House spokesperson Kim Nam-jun as the Public Relations Committee Chairman, a party reshuffle centered on Chairman Lee Jae-myung has taken place. Panelist Kwon Yeon-seok assessed these appointments as a clear indication that the party intends to serve as Chairman Lee Jae-myung's spokesperson. This can also be interpreted as the party becoming a private enterprise centered on a specific individual.

Although Chairman Kim Min-seok stated that 'there are no factions,' a scene where he warned against disclosing confidential meeting contents was observed, revealing the party leader's true intentions. Panelist Kwon Yeon-seok cited Kim Eo-jun's remarks, implying that a lame duck period has begun, and pointed out the absence of leadership that soothes individuals rather than relies on strong leadership. This is analyzed as a phenomenon showing the conflict between pro-Lee and anti-Lee factions within the party and the limitations of Chairman Kim Min-seok's leadership.