'Impeachment Demand for Judge Jeong Gyeong-sim' Surpasses 400,000 Supporters in Blue House Petition

Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] A Blue House petition demanding the impeachment of the first trial court that sentenced former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk’s wife, Professor Jung Kyung-shim of Dongyang University, to four years in prison has gained the support of more than 400,000 people as of the 28th.

The petition titled "Requesting the Impeachment of the First Trial Court of Jung Kyung-shim," posted on the National Petition website on the 24th, had received 402,032 supporters as of 8 a.m. that day. This petition, registered on the 23rd, surpassed the response threshold by gaining 200,000 supporters within a day on the 24th.

The petitioner stated, "Article 11, Paragraph 1 and Article 103 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea stipulate that the rights of the people must be guaranteed by law under the principles of 'separation of powers' and 'rule of law,' but the important point is that the decision depends on the conscience of the judges." They added, "Because the three judges who handed down the first trial verdict on Jung Kyung-shim seriously violated Article 103 of the Constitution, which requires judges to judge according to their conscience, I urge the National Assembly to propose an impeachment motion against the three judges of that court."

Furthermore, the petitioner claimed, "The court unilaterally relied only on the prosecution’s circumstantial evidence and statements, and did not base its judgment at all on the physical evidence submitted by the defense or on the refutations of the prosecution’s claims." They also said, "The court showed a biased process favoring the prosecution, which was not neutral during the trial, ignoring even the presumption of innocence."

They continued, "The era has changed, and it is a misconception by judges to think that ignorant citizens who do not understand the law will unconditionally accept unjust rulings." They added, "As one of the citizens who observed the trial process 34 times, I absolutely cannot acknowledge that the judges made their ruling according to the constitution and legal conscience."

Moreover, the petitioner requested, "I ask for the proposal of an impeachment motion against the three judges and the enactment of a jury system that can achieve 'judicial democracy.'" They said, "Please legislate so that 'judicial democracy' can be realized by changing the appointment of Supreme Court justices from appointed positions to elected positions."

Previously, Professor Jung, who was tried on charges including her children’s admission fraud and private equity fund suspicions, was sentenced to four years in prison and fined 500 million won on the 23rd, and was taken into custody in court. The court recognized all charges related to admission fraud against Professor Jung, while some charges related to the private equity fund suspicions and evidence destruction were judged as not guilty.

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