DPK pauses contentious court overhaul bid — for now

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, arrives at a traditional market to campaign in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Joint Press Corps

The liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has decided to withdraw a set of controversial legislative bills that sought sweeping changes to the justice system, following criticism that the proposals threatened judicial independence.

The party announced its decision on Monday — the same day court representatives from across the country convened to address growing concerns over the judiciary’s independence and integrity. Of the 126 court representatives, 88 attended the meeting, where they discussed the fallout from the Supreme Court’s May 1 ruling, which overturned a lower court’s acquittal of DPK presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on charges of violating the election law. The verdict triggered a strong backlash from DPK lawmakers, raising concerns about political pressure on the courts.

The DPK’s swift withdrawal of the bills, coming just before the rare gathering of judiciary representatives, appears aimed at easing immediate tensions. However, the judges' decision not to release a public statement underscores persistent anxieties within the legal community, suggesting that despite the legislative pause, the deep divide between political powers and the courts continues to persist.

No agenda items were approved that day, and their details have not been made public, likely due to concerns about political repercussions ahead of the June 3 election. According to participants, the judges concluded the meeting without issuing a statement and agreed to resume discussions only after the election.

Earlier that same day, the DPK’s presidential campaign team announced it would withdraw two of the most controversial bills that were recently proposed. The bills sought to allow non-lawyers to serve as Supreme Court justices and to increase the number of justices on the bench to more than seven times its current size.

On Friday, Rep. Park Beom-kye and nine other lawmakers introduced a bill that would allow anyone “equipped with knowledge about their field of work and the law” to serve as a Supreme Court justice. Then, on May 8, Rep. Jang Kyung-tae and nine colleagues proposed another bill to expand the number of justices on the court from the current 14 to 100.

The legislators argued that these reforms are essential for the court to function effectively, citing an overwhelming workload and a lack of diversity. However, critics view the bills as the DPK’s retaliation against the Supreme Court following its swift ruling that revived legal troubles for Lee, noting that all the reform proposals were drafted after that decision.

But amid mounting criticism from both the right and left, Lee said on Saturday that the bills did not represent his or the party’s official position on the issue ― apparently out of concern that extreme ideas could alienate moderate voters ahead of voting day.

Nevertheless, the liberal party has not clearly stated whether it will withdraw other judiciary reform bills.

For example, Rep. Kim Yong-min and 13 other lawmakers proposed a bill to expand the Supreme Court bench from its current size to 100 justices. If Lee wins the election, this expansion could enable him to shift the court’s ideological balance to better align with his political agenda, according to critics.

In a separate bill introduced by Kim on May 13, the judges’ bench would be lowered to the same level as the defendants’ seating, aiming to reduce the intimidating effect of the current elevated arrangement.

Many worry that if the DPK also gains control of the executive branch, some of these proposals could be pushed through the Assembly without proper scrutiny.

“Lee is backing down to avoid criticism that he is trying to take control over the judiciary … But he may change his mind as he did many times in the past,” said Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party. “I’m sure he’ll try again if he wins the election.”