Judicial Impeachment Jointly Proposed by 161 National Assembly Members... "We Must Restore Constitutional Order"

First Extraordinary National Assembly in February, Representative Lee Tan-hee of the Democratic Party of Korea Initiates
161 Co-sponsors... Securing Quorum for Approval, High Possibility of Passing at the National Assembly Plenary Session on the 4th
"Im Seong-geun Impeachment, the Minimum Choice for the Court's 'Public Trust'"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] A total of 161 members of the National Assembly jointly proposed an impeachment motion against Lim Seong-geun, Chief Judge of the Busan High Court. With the number of co-sponsors alone securing the quorum for resolution, it is expected to pass the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 4th.

On the 1st, Lee Tan-hee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, held a press conference at the National Assembly and announced the submission of the impeachment motion against Chief Judge Lim Seong-geun, jointly proposed by 161 members of the National Assembly.

Before the submission, Lee, Ryu Ho-jeong of the Justice Party, Kang Min-jung of the Open Democratic Party, and Yong Hye-in of the Basic Income Party held a "Joint Press Conference of National Assembly Members from Four Parties" and announced, "Beyond party and faction distinctions, to fulfill the constitutional duty entrusted to the National Assembly, we are submitting an impeachment motion against Lim Seong-geun, a judge who violated the constitution through judicial manipulation."

They criticized, "According to Article 103 of the Constitution, judges are to independently adjudicate according to their conscience under the Constitution and laws, but Chief Judge Lim acted as a broker of judicial manipulation by hiding behind the presiding judge handling cases, intervening in trial procedures, and modifying verdict contents to suit the tastes of those in power."

Chief Judge Lim is suspected of intervening in rulings, including the allegation that he instructed a judge to make an interim judgment that an article about former President Park Geun-hye's '7-hour whereabouts during the Sewol ferry disaster' was false.

They pointed out that Chief Judge Lim "engaged in unimaginable acts for 'citizens receiving trials in court,' such as leaking verdict contents in advance or instructing the modification of leaked verdict contents for cases including the Sewol ferry 7-hour incident involving Kato Tatsuya, former Seoul bureau chief of Sankei Shimbun (defamation case of former President Park Geun-hye), the 2015 arrest and injury case of Minbyun lawyers related to the Ssangyong Motor rally, and the summary order trial referral case for gambling charges against a famous professional baseball player."

They added, "Nevertheless, the accused Lim Seong-geun has not yet been subjected to any disciplinary action or punishment," emphasizing that now, with his retirement approaching, is the "last chance."

They expressed concern, saying, "Chief Judge Lim, who suddenly received a non-renewal notice at the end of last year, will retire honorably at the end of this month. If this opportunity is missed, we may lose the chance to correct the historic error of judicial manipulation forever."

They also pointed out, "It instills a wrong perception among the public and judges that 'judges are not punished no matter what wrongdoing they commit,'" and stated, "The impeachment of Lim Seong-geun, a judicial manipulation anti-constitutional actor, is the minimum choice to restore the court to the embrace of 'public trust.'"

Regarding criticism from some quarters questioning the practical benefits of this impeachment, they sharply responded, "It lies in confirming that the constitutional order is functioning properly."

They emphasized, "We oppose the approach of calculating ahead of the Constitutional Court's procedures," and added, "The practical benefit of impeaching an anti-constitutional actor is to confirm together with the people that the constitutional order of the Republic of Korea is functioning as designed."

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