Yoo Seung-min: "The Chief Justice Seems Determined to Become a Servant of Power"

Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min is giving a greeting at a press conference held on November 18 last year at the 'Hope 22' office in Taeheung Building, Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] On the 3rd, former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min criticized Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su, calling him "a Chief Justice determined to become a servant of power," in relation to the impeachment motion against Busan High Court Chief Judge Im Seong-geun.

In a post on his Facebook on the same day, former lawmaker Yoo said, "The impeachment motion against Judge Im Seong-geun, proposed by 161 members of the National Assembly, is one day away from the vote. However, Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su, the head of the judiciary, has remained silent yesterday and today."

He continued, "Yesterday, the Supreme Court stated in a written response submitted to the National Assembly that 'the impeachment of judges is the authority of the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court.' This utterly hollow response simply repeats Articles 65 and 111 of the Constitution, so the Supreme Court need not reiterate it. Is this meaningless response the Chief Justice's intention? If so, it is a self-confession of unfitness as the head of the judiciary," he criticized.

He added, "Currently, the ruling party is undermining the independence of the courts and intimidating judges, destroying the separation of powers, yet the Chief Justice remains silent and even seems to be playing the role of an accomplice in this serious situation. Can he not show the resolve befitting the weight of the Chief Justice position to stand against the Democratic Party's gangster-like threats?"

Former lawmaker Yoo pointed out, "If the ruling party's impeachment outrage is not stopped now, history will remember Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su as 'a Chief Justice determined to become a servant of power.' This will remain a shameful disgrace both for him personally and for the history of the judiciary."

Earlier, in a Facebook post on the 2nd, former lawmaker Yoo also criticized Chief Justice Kim, asking, "Where on earth is Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su, the head of the judiciary, while the separation of powers in the democratic republic is collapsing?" He also said, "It is so pathetic and shameful that the Chief Justice cannot utter a single word to protect the authority and independence of the judiciary."

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