By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Tensions are high between prosecutors and judges after a court found Rep. Kang Ki-gab not guilty on charges related to his violent behavior at the National Assembly last year.
The prosecution criticized the court for "destroying" its sense of justice by exonerating the lawmaker. The Supreme Court fired back, warning the prosecution not to meddle in its rulings.
Thursday's decision to clear Kang, the leader of the opposition Democratic Labor Party, made the headlines of newspapers and triggered anger, especially among conservatives.
Judge Lee Dong-yeon of the Seoul Southern District Court said, "His violence inside the National Assembly was not intended to harm anybody. His action was an attempt to enter the hall as a representative of the party and to protest the endorsement of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement."
Meanwhile the governing Grand National Party's floor leader, Ahn Sang-soo, unveiled a plan to form a committee to reform the court.
The Supreme Court said criticism of the ruling could be considered an infringement on the court's independence.
Another legal battle has pitted prosecutors against judges.
The court has delayed the processing of a request from prosecutors to prohibit the distribution of a report that implies that police made mistakes during their suppression of the Yongsan protesters last year.
Lawyers of the bereaved families of the victims of the Yongsan incident made a 2,000 page report public Friday.
The report confirmed that police officers had acknowledged their suppression tactics may have been a "mistake."
The report is critical for determining who is responsible for the tragedy - the occupiers of the building or the police. Last month, a court backed the police action.
The prosecutors requested that the court replace the current judges, claiming that they are politically biased and highly likely to make a "controversial ruling."
A court spokesman said that the distribution of the classified documents was to ensure the people's right to know. "The defendants have every right to request and receive information regarding the incident," he said.