Democratic Party to decide on parliamentary probe of Chief Justice Jo through caucus vote

The Democratic Party of Korea has decided to put the question of launching a parliamentary investigation into Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-dae to a full caucus vote.

The party's leadership had maintained a cautious stance despite pressure from its hardline base to pursue impeachment, but an acquittal in the appeal of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon over allegations that a third party covered his polling costs appears to have prompted the party to sharpen its offensive. Some within the broader opposition camp, however, are skeptical, arguing that a parliamentary investigation or impeachment push targeting Chief Justice Jo would yield little practical benefit.

Democratic Party floor leader Han Byung-do announced at a national audit strategy meeting Tuesday that the party would decide whether to pursue a parliamentary investigation into Chief Justice Jo through a caucus meeting the same day.

Han listed a series of grievances against the chief justice — his conduct during the Dec. 3 emergency martial law declaration, controversy over delays in recommending Supreme Court justice candidates and his refusal to re-submit nominations, and his refusal to take an oath at a national audit session — and said the allegations had to be answered publicly. "The allegations of political meddling and abuse of power surrounding the head of the judiciary must be laid bare before the public," Han said.

Calls for Chief Justice Jo's impeachment have grown louder within the broader opposition bloc. Democratic Party supreme council member Lee Sung-yoon and Rebuilding Korea Party floor leader Rep. Kim Jun-hyung held a joint news conference Monday urging the immediate introduction of an impeachment motion against the chief justice. Rep. Song Young-gil, a former Democratic Party leader and a close ally of party leader Lee Jae Myung, also took part.

The outcome of a detention warrant hearing for Kim Keon Hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, is also expected to influence how the Democratic Party calibrates its response.

Within the party, however, there is a discernible reluctance to link the impeachment push against Chief Justice Jo to recent court rulings. The concern is that such a move could be read as political retaliation tied to verdicts affecting opposition figures.

"A political party cannot shake a judicial ruling, so we cannot simply call for impeachment outright," one floor official said. Another floor official echoed the sentiment, saying that while hardliners had continued to press the issue, there was no immediate discussion of impeachment. "We should not tie our response to Chief Justice Jo to rulings like the one in Mayor Oh's case," the official said.

Some voices have gone further, questioning whether the momentum to confront Chief Justice Jo has already passed. A Democratic Party lawmaker from a Greater Seoul constituency said there was nothing more to be gained from a parliamentary investigation. "We should have struck and pulled back when he refused to re-submit nominations and Supreme Court seats were left vacant," the lawmaker said. Rebuilding Korea Party leader Shin Jang-sik, appearing on KBS Radio on Tuesday, also said the moment for impeachment had been missed. "The right time was actually last May, when the case was sent back for retrial — that was when we should have moved on impeachment," he said.