Kim Hyun-bin began his journalism career at Arirang TV from 2012 to 2017, specializing in defense, foreign affairs and the economy. In 2018, he joined The Korea Times, covering society and business, and is currently responsible for embassy affairs.
Top court under pressure as ruling party raises impeachment threat
Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae / Yonhap
By Kim Hyun-bin
Familiar political battle tests Korea’s judicial independence
Korea’s ruling party is intensifying its campaign to oust Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, escalating a political battle over judicial independence in a struggle that, while not new, has taken on a new and dangerous edge.
The push to unseat Cho, led by the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), is fueled by reports that he may have discussed sensitive cases — including one involving President Lee Jae Myung, then the DPK leader — before the June 3 presidential election.
The current struggle over the Supreme Court’s leadership is more than a simple partisan dispute. It is a new and dangerous test for Korea’s democratic institutions, as DPK leaders are using the threat of legislative action — an unprecedented move — to remove a sitting chief justice. The campaign signals a new phase in the country’s turbulent politics, where the judiciary is becoming a direct arena for political battle.
Cho has vehemently denied the accusations, calling them “completely groundless” and stating publicly that he never discussed ongoing cases with any politicians.
“I have never held such conversations with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo or with anyone else,” Cho said in a statement.
This is not the first time a sitting justice has faced pressure to step down.
Legal observers note that, since the 1987 constitutional reform that introduced a direct presidential election system and strengthened civil liberties, ending decades of authoritarian rule, two Supreme Court chiefs have resigned before completing their six-year terms.
Neither stepped down due to partisan political pressure. Instead, both departures came in response to internal demands from judges amid scandals and reform movements. Most other chief justices have completed their full terms despite political friction.
The first early resignation came in 1988, when Chief Justice Kim Yong-chul left under the weight of the so-called “second judicial crisis,” when younger judges demanded reform following revelations that his continued appointment had been used as a bargaining chip in parliamentary negotiations during the country’s transition to a full democracy. The second case occurred in the 1990s, when Kim Deok-ju quit following disclosures of questionable real estate holdings.
Since then, successive chief justices — including those appointed under opposing political administrations — have resisted outside calls to resign. Former Chief Justice Lee Yong-hoon, who served under both liberal and conservative governments, publicly vowed to defend judicial independence after the ruling Grand National Party (a precursor to the current conservative People Power Party) attacked his court as biased for rulings that acquitted progressive figures.
That history makes the current campaign particularly sensitive.
Cho, a career justice known for his austere lifestyle and Buddhist faith, is seen as a jurist who strictly adheres to principle, steering clear of administrative posts and outside ties for much of his career.
He angered the DPK earlier this year when the Supreme Court overturned a lower court conviction of the president in an election law case but sent it back for retrial, prolonging legal uncertainty rather than delivering a final acquittal. In March, Cho drew further criticism after a Seoul court lifted a detention warrant against former President Yoon Suk Yeol, fueling opposition suspicions of bias.
Within the judiciary, many judges are reportedly unsettled by the overt political pressure. Even critics of Cho caution that judicial independence is at stake, as never before has a chief justice been impeached or removed through legislative action.