Parliamentary committee to hold hearing on chief justice over alleged election interference
Lawmakers participate in a meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
The parliamentary judiciary committee on Monday passed a motion to hold a hearing on Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae over alleged election interference related to President Lee Jae Myung's election law violation case.
The proposal was passed during a plenary session of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, led by the ruling Democratic Party (DPK) amid a boycott by main opposition People Power Party members.
With the passage, the committee will hold the hearing on Cho and former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, along with other Supreme Court judges on Sept. 30.
Cho faces allegations of election interference after the Supreme Court, under his leadership, overturned a not-guilty verdict in Lee's election law violation case and sent it back to a lower court for retrial just ahead of the June 3 presidential election. The ruling sparked suspicion because it was delivered in an unusually prompt manner.
DPK lawmakers have argued that Cho met with Han before the ruling and said he would "take care" of Lee's case when it reached the Supreme Court.