Cho Hee-dae, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, closes his eyes as he observes the arguments between ruling and opposition party lawmakers at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee's parliamentary audit on the 13th. Yonhap News. 

Cho Hee-dae, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, reiterated on the 13th during the Supreme Court's parliamentary audit that he has never had private meetings or conversations with individuals involved in the so-called 'election interference suspicions'.

Regarding the background of the ruling on former President Lee's election law case, he expressed a personal sentiment for the first time, stating, "I earnestly wish to resolve the distrust," but remained tight-lipped, citing constitutional provisions on judicial independence and other laws that prohibit disclosure.

In his closing remarks at the Supreme Court's parliamentary audit held at the National Assembly on the 13th, Chief Justice Cho stated, "I will address the doubts surrounding the en banc case trials that many members have raised," and explained his position in considerable detail.

Chief Justice Cho emphasized, "First, regarding the suspicions raised about my personal conduct, the Court Administration Office's public relations officer has already stated that they are entirely untrue." He added, "In the same vein, I want to clearly state once again that I have never had any private meetings with the individuals mentioned in some members' questions, nor have I had any conversations or made any remarks about the case."

Concerning the Supreme Court's decision to remand the former President Lee's election law case, he said, "It is unfortunate that there seems to be distrust regarding the background of the swift trial and verdict," adding, "Personally, I earnestly wish to resolve this distrust."

This is the first time Chief Justice Cho has expressed his personal feelings regarding the controversy surrounding the election law case.

Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae leaves the Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting room after a recess was declared during the parliamentary audit of the Supreme Court and other bodies at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 13th. Yonhap News. 

He then drew a line, stating, "However, matters concerning the trial process, the establishment of the verdict, and the circumstances of the verdict's pronouncement are matters that cannot be disclosed according to Article 103 of the Constitution, which stipulates the independence of judicial power, and Article 65 of the Court Organization Act, which stipulates the confidentiality of deliberations."

He further remarked, "There is an old legal maxim that 'judges speak through their judgments.' This trial was conducted by an en banc decision involving myself and 12 other Supreme Court justices, and the essence of the judgment deliberated and discussed in that en banc session is all contained within the written judgment."

He added, "Only what is revealed in the written judgment has public effect, and as the Chief Justice is merely one member of the en banc panel, I cannot express my opinion in any way other than through a judgment." He concluded, "I hope that the doubts of the public and the committee members regarding the trial have been partially resolved through the detailed content of the written judgment, the response to the written questions submitted in advance, and the answers from the Minister of Court Administration regarding the Supreme Court's general trial structure."

Chief Justice Cho also stated, "Having served as a judge for a long time, I have always been mindful of the importance of trial procedures and judgments. However, I believe this incident has made all judges, including myself, feel this even more keenly."

He further added, "I will do my best to further enhance the credibility of the judiciary and faithfully fulfill its role of guaranteeing the freedom and rights of the people by deeply considering and reflecting on the intentions behind the questions asked by the members during today's parliamentary audit."

Chief Justice Cho also stated his position on recent legislative discussions concerning judicial system reforms, such as the increase in the number of Supreme Court justices and the warrant system, saying, "We have received valuable opinions today regarding the ongoing discussions in the National Assembly. Going forward, the judiciary will do its utmost to ensure that desirable improvements to the judicial system are made from the perspective of the people."

Regarding the criticisms concerning judicial ethics, he emphasized, "I fully agree with the point that judges must adhere to the Judicial Ethics Code in their daily lives as well as in their trials and act prudently." He added, "We will foster an atmosphere within the judiciary so that judges can internalize and practice judicial ethics through possible means such as judicial training, and we will be diligent in preventing actions that violate judicial ethics."

Cheon Dae-yeop, Minister of Court Administration, requests Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's dismissal from Chairperson Choo Mi-ae during the parliamentary audit of the Supreme Court and other bodies at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 13th. Yonhap News. 

Chief Justice Cho appeared in the parliamentary audit hall around 10:10 AM. While he initially planned to leave after offering only customary greetings, he remained for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes upon the request of Choo Mi-ae, Chairperson of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, to stay and answer questions.

However, he remained silent, facing only forward, in response to some questions from Democratic Party lawmakers regarding the election interference suspicions.

He left the venue during the recess at 11:40 AM and returned to the parliamentary audit at 11:40 PM, 12 hours later, to deliver his closing remarks.

Even after the closing remarks, Chairperson Choo continued to question Chief Justice Cho about the election interference suspicions, asking, "When did you review the records for former President Lee's case?" However, Chief Justice Cho remained tight-lipped until the very end.

The Legislation and Judiciary Committee members plan to conduct a second parliamentary audit of the Supreme Court on the 15th, which will involve a site inspection at the Supreme Court.

Yonhap News