DPK intensifies impeachment threats against Supreme Court justices

The Supreme Court in Seoul, is seen Tuesday. The nation's top court has come under unprecedented threat as the Democratic Party of Korea vows to use any means necessary to protect its presidential candidate, Lee Jae-myung, including the impeachment of the court's 10 justices who ruled against him in his election law case last week. Yonhap

The Supreme Court has come under unprecedented threat as the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) vows to use any means necessary to protect its presidential candidate, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, including the impeachment of the court's 10 justices who ruled against him last week in his election law case.

The liberal party is demanding the judiciary immediately suspend all trials regarding Lee's criminal charges by Monday. If it doesn't, judges and justices would face impeachment, the party warned.

“This case was a judicial coup that violated the sovereignty of the people. A judicial coup is a clearly impeachable offense,” Rep. Lee Geon-tae, a spokesperson for the party’s committee for the June 3 election, said in a statement on Tuesday.

The statement comes after Rep. Yun Ho-jung, the committee chief, vowed the previous day to use “every power granted” to its lawmakers to thwart judges’ plan to hold a hearing on May 15 at the Seoul High Court, where they will deliberate on Lee’s sentence.

If Lee is sentenced to a fine of 1 million won ($710) or higher, he will lose his eligibility to run in the presidential election. Given that he was found by 10 out of 12 attending justices last week to have violated the election law by making false public statements, few think Lee will be given a sentence lighter than that penalty.

But the party now appears determined to stop the proceedings required for Lee’s conviction. Its lawmakers, who hold a majority of National Assembly seats, can temporarily halt the court operation for his case without the approval of conservative lawmakers.

After the Supreme Court decision on Thursday that overturned Lee’s acquittal on election law charges, a group of DPK lawmakers held a meeting to impeach Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae for “trying to intervene” in the election. But on Sunday, the party decided to give the judiciary more time to think instead of taking immediate action over the possible public backlash.

It is highly likely that the party will take action if the judiciary remains silent until its deadline. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Lee said he would respect any decision his party makes to deal with uncooperative judges and justices.

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, speaks at a street market in Jeungpyeong, a county in North Chungcheong Province, Tuesday. Newsis

The following day in Jeungpyeong, a county in North Chungcheong Province, Lee compared himself to former President Kim Dae-jung, who was sentenced to death for sedition charges by a military court in 1980. Lee then said he was sure that “second and third coup attempts will also be suppressed successfully by the people” just as the first one attempted by impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol was, in remarks clearly aimed at judges and justices.

After the Supreme Court ruling, some expected the DPK to change its presidential candidate. But no such voices have so far emerged from the party under Lee’s firm control.

Likewise, the ruling appears to have had little impact in changing views about the candidate among his supporters. In a survey conducted by KOPRA on Sunday, two days after the decision, 95 percent of 1,000 respondents who identified as his supporters said they would continue to support him, while only 3 percent said they would withdraw their support. The remaining 2 percent said they were unsure.

Lee may skip the May 15 hearing if it goes ahead. Rep. Park Kyoon-taek, a director at the party committee for legal matters, said during an MBC radio program that it would be difficult for Lee to appear. If he does not show up, the court is required to move the hearing schedule ― possibly to May 16. If he fails to show up again, the court may issue a verdict without him attending.

The poll has a 95-percent confidence level with a sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Details can be found on the website of the poll review committee of the National Election Commission.