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Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae arrives at the Supreme Court in Seocho, Seoul, on September 26. / Source: Yonhap News

Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae has notified the National Assembly that he will not attend a hearing scheduled for September 30 by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, fueling renewed tensions between ruling and opposition parties.

The Democratic Party (DP) criticized Cho’s refusal, arguing that he was the “trigger” for judicial reform and must publicly explain himself. “It was Chief Justice Cho who pulled the trigger on judicial reform,” DP Supreme Council member Jun Hyun-hee said at a press briefing on September 28. “He must give a full account of the controversies that have eroded public trust in the judiciary and apologize before the people. The hearing is his last chance to restore confidence in the judiciary and show accountability.”

The ruling People Power Party (PPP), however, has escalated its campaign against the hearing, framing it as an unconstitutional attack on the judiciary. PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk accused the DP of staging a political offensive: “They failed in their plots to oust the chief justice, so now they are making a scene with this hearing. We will take our fight to the streets to inform the people about the destruction of Korea’s judiciary, media, legislature, diplomacy, security, and economy.”

Rep. Na Kyung-won of the PPP also blasted the DP in a social media post, saying, “The chief justice submitted a statement of opinion, not an absence letter, yet the DP dares to call him arrogant. The real arrogance lies with the DP. This hearing is unconstitutional from the start and an affront to the constitutional order.” She further warned that the attempt to put the judiciary’s top figure on a “people’s tribunal” stage in the National Assembly undermines separation of powers and could backfire politically, saying, “What they intend as a buildup for overturning President Lee’s trials and impeaching the chief justice could instead become the buildup for the president’s downfall.”