The National Assembly Joins Hands with KTX Dismissed Crew Members, Demands "Impeachment" Over Return of Judges Involved in Judicial Scandal

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Regarding the KTX dismissal lawsuit 'trial manipulation' that occurred during the tenure of former Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae, dismissed KTX crew members and lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties have called for the impeachment of judges Lee Min-geol and Jeong Da-ju, who are involved. In 2018, the Supreme Court's special investigation team disclosed documents revealing that the Court Administration Office intervened in trials to cooperate with the Park Geun-hye administration's state affairs management, which included the KTX crew dismissal lawsuit.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the morning of the 30th, dismissed KTX crew members and lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties held a 'Press Conference Urging the Impeachment of Judges Lee Min-geol and Jeong Da-ju' at the National Assembly, appealing for the impeachment of the judges. The conference was led by Lee Tan-hee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Not only Democratic Party lawmakers but also Kim Jin-ae and Choi Kang-wook from the Open Democratic Party, Ryu Ho-jeong from the Justice Party, and Yong Hye-in from the Basic Income Party participated.

They criticized the fact that those involved in judicial corruption are gradually returning to work or receiving preferential treatment as former officials after retirement. Representative Lee said, “Jeong Da-ju, who was the Planning and Coordination Officer at the Court Administration Office at the time, authored many documents related to trial manipulation, and the supervisor of this work was Judge Lee. Judge Jeong has returned to the bench, and Judge Lee will retire in February next year. There are no restrictions on their registration as lawyers,” criticizing the situation.

He continued, “The public cannot continue to receive trials from judges who committed judicial corruption, and lawyers receiving preferential treatment as former officials cannot be said to have been properly punished,” urging the impeachment of the judges.

He emphasized, “Now it is the National Assembly's turn to respond. Judicial impeachment is an act of condemning the history of judicial corruption and trial manipulation,” and “The impeachment of these individuals is the responsibility of the National Assembly.”

At the conference, KTX crew members urged Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo to conduct a fact-finding investigation into the KTX dismissal lawsuit trial manipulation, impeach the judges, and propose an impeachment motion in the National Assembly. Kim Seung-ha, former head of the KTX Train Crew Branch of the Railway Workers' Union, said, “The reason we lost (in the Supreme Court ruling) was because we were included as subjects of trial manipulation with the Park Geun-hye administration,” adding, “We endured 12 years and 2 months, a total of 4,526 days, of a life-or-death struggle for survival, trusting only the court, but we were sold out as mere bargaining chips.”

Former branch chief Kim criticized, “We thought things would change when Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo took office, but judges involved in trial manipulation were acquitted and no disciplinary actions were taken,” and “Related judges are returning to trials one by one as if nothing happened, and some are receiving preferential treatment as former officials while working as lawyers after retirement.”

He added, “We lost our twenties during the 4,000-day struggle and lost a precious comrade who was a mother of one child,” appealing, “But if we file a lawsuit, we will have to be tried again by these judicial corruption judges.”

He emphasized, “The victims' pain continues even now, but the perpetrators bear no responsibility,” and “Judges are not inviolable. It must be confirmed as common sense that judges must be held accountable if they commit wrongdoing.”

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