Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.
Parties hit for dragging court in
By Jun Ji-hye
The Constitutional Court’s recent ruling ordering the dissolution of a leftist political party has again highlighted the weighty significance of the judicial entity because of the nationwide social impact the decision has made.
The court has previously issued “landmark” rulings on major issues of national importance such as the impeachment of an incumbent head of state and whether to designate another location for the nation’s capital.
Commentators blame politicians for giving the top court too much power and influence by too often letting it rule on controversial issues instead of resolving them through debate and dialog.
“The court’s influence has grown constantly since it has made some major decisions regarding political issues,” Rep. Park Beom-kye of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy told reporters.
The court was established in 1988 as the result of the nation’s struggle for democracy, to counter widespread distrust of the judicial system after years of military dictatorship beginning in the 1960s.
By the 2000s, however, the court began to deliberate over politically sensitive issues involving political parties and civil rights.
A notable example was the handling of an impeachment bill against late president Roh Moo-hyun, filed by the Grand National Party, now the Saenuri Party, in May 2004. The court dismissed the bill, dealing a heavy blow to the party.
The latest decision to disband the leftist Unified Progressive Party (UPP) and strip the party's five lawmakers of their seats came after the justice ministry filed a petition in November 2013.
Lee Seok-ki, who lost his parliamentary seat following this decision, was charged with plotting an armed insurrection in August 2013. From that time on, Saenuri Party lawmakers, including then vice floor leader Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, requested that the ministry file a case with the Constitutional Court calling for the dissolution of the UPP.
However, some critics voiced skepticism that the case went before the court even before allegations made against Lee were confirmed.
When issuing the ruling on Friday, the judicial body’s president Park Han-chul said the UPP organized activities with the concealed objective of creating a communist country like North Korea. Lee was convicted in February, but the judicial process of his case has yet to be finished. The Supreme Court will issue a final ruling in January.
Some critics say that the body politic appears to utilize the court as and when there are sensitive issues that are difficult for politicians to resolve through negotiations.
“Parties should first do their best to resolve issues rather than shifting responsibility to the court,” said Hongik University professor Chung Goon-gi. “Also, systematic improvement of the court seems to be necessary to prevent decisions that cause further political battles between progressives and conservatives, and better reflect the public’s views.”
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