Seonggeun Lim and Myungsoo Kim Recording Files Released... Inevitable Fallout from Lies Controversy

Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The side of Im Seong-geun, Chief Judge of the Busan High Court, released a recorded file on the 4th that was recorded during a meeting with Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo of the Supreme Court when he submitted his resignation last year. The file contains content showing that Chief Justice Kim refused to accept the resignation, conscious of the political circle's impeachment movement against judges involved in the 'judicial scandal.' This contradicts the Supreme Court's explanation and is expected to cause considerable repercussions.

According to the recorded file released by Chief Judge Im's side on that day, during the meeting with Chief Justice Kim on May 22, Kim said, "Putting aside the legal aspects of accepting or submitting a resignation, I have to consider various influences and political situations," adding, "Now (the ruling party) is making a fuss about impeaching, so if I accept the resignation, what do you think the National Assembly will say?" At that time, Chief Judge Im was in poor health and met Chief Justice Kim after submitting his resignation to the Deputy Chief of the Court Administration Office.

Chief Justice Kim also said, "Regarding the impeachment system, I do not think it is realistic or that impeachment should happen," but added, "For now, political situations are a different matter, so if I accept the resignation to prevent even mentioning impeachment, it would make it impossible to talk about impeachment and could attract criticism." This is interpreted as Chief Justice Kim refusing to accept the resignation due to awareness of the political circle's impeachment of judges involved in the judicial scandal.

Earlier, Chief Judge Im's side claimed the day before that although Chief Judge Im expressed his intention to resign to Chief Justice Kim in May last year, it was rejected due to the possibility of impeachment by the National Assembly. In response, the Supreme Court denied, stating, "There is no fact that the Chief Justice told Judge Im that the resignation could not be accepted due to impeachment issues." Then, Chief Judge Im's side disclosed the recorded file from the meeting with Chief Justice Kim last year while expressing additional opinions on the Supreme Court's explanation.

Im Seong-geun, Chief Judge of Busan High Court
Photo by Yonhap News

Yoon Geun-soo, the legal representative of Chief Judge Im (Law Firm Haein), explained the background of releasing the recorded file, saying, "The public is still curious about what the truth is regarding the ongoing controversy." He added, "Since some media outlets have already reported the existence of the recorded file, remaining silent any longer would be inappropriate from the public's right to know perspective, and it is reasonable to disclose it for the public interest, including the future of the judiciary."

The release of the recorded file by Chief Judge Im's side on that day is expected to cause significant repercussions not only in the courts but also in the legal community. This is because the sitting Chief Justice is embroiled in an unprecedented 'lying controversy' in judicial history. A chief judge at the Seoul Central District Court said, "Chief Justice Kim is now in a difficult situation." A lawyer in Seocho-dong said, "Since his inauguration, Chief Justice Kim has faced continuous criticism for political bias, and this incident has intensified it."

The Supreme Court has not issued any additional explanation by 10 a.m. that day. However, the disclosure of this recorded file, which is directly related to the issue of 'undermining the independence of the judiciary,' is unlikely to be resolved as is, according to the consensus in the legal community. One lawyer said, "The Supreme Court seems to be embarrassed by the release of this recorded file," adding, "The matter has grown too big."

Meanwhile, the vote on the impeachment motion against Chief Judge Im in the National Assembly is scheduled for 2 p.m. that day. The impeachment motion, led by the Democratic Party of Korea, was co-sponsored by 161 lawmakers, including members of the ruling coalition parties. The ruling coalition lawmakers have been pushing for impeachment, claiming that Chief Judge Im was involved in the judicial scandal and violated constitutional values. Since the number of sponsors far exceeds the required quorum of 151, the motion is expected to pass.

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