As the plenary session begins, impeachment motion against Choo Mi-ae... "Democratic Party, please also cast your votes in favor"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Lee Ji-eun and Lim Chun-han] The United Future Party and the People’s Party are set to submit an impeachment motion against Justice Minister Chu Mi-ae in line with the opening of the plenary session. As the opposition parties oppose the High-ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Office (HOCI) Act and confront the ruling party, they appear to be increasing pressure by impeaching Minister Chu, a key figure in prosecutorial reform.

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the United Future Party, stated at an emergency meeting held at the National Assembly main building on the 20th, “Minister Chu has committed more illegal acts and damaged dignity than any other justice minister in history, and has undermined the independence of investigations,” announcing the submission of the impeachment motion against Minister Chu.

Floor leader Joo added, “If submitted today, it will be reported to the plenary session and a vote is expected on Friday (24th). Since Minister Chu has abused various powers under the Prosecutors’ Office Act and dismissed all diligent prosecutors, we expect many votes in favor even from the Democratic Party in the plenary session.”

The United Future Party had previously demanded President Moon Jae-in dismiss Minister Chu and requested a statement regarding Minister Chu in line with the opening speech on the 16th. During the 20th National Assembly in January, when the party was still the Liberty Korea Party, an impeachment motion against Minister Chu was also proposed but was automatically discarded due to the plenary session not being held within 72 hours.

The impeachment motion will be jointly proposed with the People’s Party. A key official from the United Future Party said, “We have already consulted with the People’s Party and will submit the impeachment motion this afternoon.” The two parties have formed a policy alliance concerning the conflict between Minister Chu and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. Earlier, on the 3rd, Kwon Eun-hee, floor leader of the People’s Party, and Kim Sung-won, deputy floor leader of the United Future Party, jointly submitted a resolution to the National Assembly Secretariat titled “Resolution to Prohibit Suppression of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl and to Urge Fair Duties of Justice Minister Chu Mi-ae.”

The impeachment of Minister Chu aligns with the United Future Party’s opposition to the launch of the HOCI and its confrontation with the ruling party. The HOCI, considered a core part of prosecutorial reform, has missed its legally mandated launch deadline (the 15th). The United Future Party maintains the position that the HOCI is unconstitutional and has not appointed candidate recommendation committee members. Consequently, there are calls to amend the law to transfer the appointment of HOCI candidate recommendation committee members to opposition negotiation groups.

Meanwhile, the United Future Party also raised concerns about the neutrality of the judiciary on this day. Kim Jong-in, emergency committee chairman of the United Future Party, criticized Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo, saying, “I have never heard of a judiciary head anywhere in the world telling judges to conduct trials according to the public’s expectations.” Floor leader Joo also pointed out regarding the arrest warrant for a Channel A reporter, “The judge made a political decision, stating that ‘detention and investigation are inevitable to restore trust in the media and prosecution.’”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.