Opposition Seeks Impeachment of Top Court Justice

The leader of South Korea's main opposition party said Wednesday he will seek to impeach an embattled Supreme Court justice accused of intervening in trials of anti-government activists, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Supreme Court justice Shin Young-chul was referred to the top court's ethics committee for sending a series of e-mails last year to junior judges recommending the trials be dealt with quickly.

The activists had been indicted on charges of illegal protests during last summer's anti-U.S. beef demonstrations. A judge handling one of their cases questioned the legitimacy of an existing law banning outdoor rallies after sunset and brought it to the Constitutional Court for review. The move effectively caused the postponement of all related cases.

Shin was serving as chief of the Seoul Central District Court when he sent the messages.

The ethics panel concluded last week that Shin's e-mails and other acts constituted "misleading and inappropriate" behavior. Chief Justice Lee Yong-hoon issued a warning to Shin but did not ask for his resignation or take disciplinary measures.

"We have reached a conclusion that we cannot but file a motion to impeach Justice Shin," Democratic Party Chairman Chung Sye-kyun was quoted as saying at a meeting with the party's leadership in Seoul.

"The time has come for us to seek the motion together with other parties," the chairman said, adding that the time frame for Shin's voluntary resignation has passed.

"I expect other liberal parties to align with our cause, but we also plan to work together with the conscientious faction within the ruling party," Chung was quoted as saying.