Hong Jun-pyo urges ruling camp to respect chief justice, not 'tear him apart'

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo warned Wednesday that the ruling camp is on the verge of completing what he called a dictatorship — one that would control the judiciary, legislature and executive branch all at once after next year.

Hong made the remarks in a Facebook post Wednesday, urging the ruling bloc to stop subjecting Chief Justice Jo Hee-dae to humiliation and harassment. "Respect the chief justice, who will step down when his term expires next June," he wrote.

"What is so urgent that you have to tear apart the chief justice of this country?" Hong added. "The world is going off the rails."

His comments appeared to be a rebuke of the Democratic Party of Korea, which on Wednesday called on Jo to resign voluntarily after the chief justice refused to take a witness oath or testify at a National Assembly national audit on Tuesday, while maintaining his opposition to the reappointment of Supreme Court justices.

Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok, speaking at a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on Wednesday, said Jo should resign rather than find himself in the awkward position of invoking unconstitutionality while refusing to take an oath and infringing on citizens' right to a fair trial. "For a chief justice, who should be the very symbol of integrity, stepping down when one can no longer stand tall with a clear conscience is the last duty he owes," Kim said.

Floor Leader Han Byung-do also pressed Jo at the meeting. "A national audit is not a venue where you pick and choose what you want to say — it is a place where you must answer the National Assembly's questions on behalf of the people," Han said. "Is he not claiming the right to offer explanations while refusing the responsibility to take an oath?"

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok, however, pushed back in his own Facebook post. "Chief Justice Jo must protect the judiciary, and the people must protect Chief Justice Jo," he wrote. "The Democratic Party has not stopped its petty insults and intimidation. The people are watching, and the people are outraged."