Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae said of the judicial reform bills that passed the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee that they would “cause enormous harm to the public,” adding, “We will consult with and persuade the National Assembly.”

On the morning of the 12th, as he was arriving at the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Cho met with reporters and, when asked about the judicial reform plan that had passed the committee the previous day, said, “Because this is an issue that forms a major pillar of the Constitution and the national order, it should be carried out only after sufficient deliberation, as I have repeatedly said.”

He continued, “Because (the judicial reform plan) is an issue whose outcome would inflict enormous harm on the public, we will continue to consult with and persuade the National Assembly.”

When asked, ‘Isn’t there no way to stop it any further?’, he responded, “It is not yet finally concluded,” adding, “In the meantime, the Supreme Court will again gather its views, convey them, and consult.”

The ‘Judicial Complaint Act’ (an amendment to the Constitutional Court Act), which would allow even final court judgments to be reviewed again by the Constitutional Court, cleared the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the night of the 11th. An amendment to the Court Organization Act to increase the number of Supreme Court justices from 14 to 26 was also passed that day at the committee’s general meeting, led by the Democratic Party. The judiciary has so far expressed negative views on both bills.

The bill to introduce the offense of legal distortion, which the Democratic Party has pursued as a key judicial reform measure, now awaits only a plenary vote. The essence of the offense is to create a criminal provision to punish judges, prosecutors, and others who distort the law in investigation, prosecution, or trial.

On this day, Chief Justice Cho also said regarding the introduction of the offense of legal distortion, “It is a serious issue that would harm the judicial order and the public,” adding, “We will continue to consult (with the National Assembly).”