"Impeachment Indictment and False Explanation Apology Needed" Active Judge Publicly Criticizes Chief Justice Kim Myung-su

Judge Song Seung-yong "Supreme Court Chief Justice's False Explanation Deserves Criticism"

Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo is arriving at the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 9th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] A sitting judge criticized both Im Seong-geun, the chief judge of the Busan High Court who was impeached on the 14th for involvement in the judicial scandal, and Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su, who falsely explained the reason for rejecting Im’s resignation. In particular, he urged Chief Justice Kim to apologize for the impeachment and the controversy over the false explanation.

Song Seung-yong (47, Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 29), chief judge of the Suwon District Court, posted an article titled "Personal Opinion on Impeachment" on the court’s internal bulletin board 'CourtNet' on the same day, stating, "The publicly released conversation between the Chief Justice and Judge Im Seong-geun, as well as the Chief Justice’s false explanation, are rightly subject to criticism for being imprudent and inappropriate regardless of any circumstances or reasons."

He said, "The Chief Justice, head of the judiciary, told a junior judge who came to his office, a public space, that the National Assembly, the representative institution of the people, was 'making a fuss about impeaching,' and said that, in his opinion, it would not be grounds for impeachment."

He continued, "This statement is shocking in that it shows no reflective consideration of past mistakes. It is hard to believe that the Chief Justice, who should symbolize justice, would say that impeachment was not mentioned in the conversation with Judge Im or that his memory was unclear because it was an event from nine months ago, leading to a false explanation."

Chief Judge Song emphasized, "Even now, the Chief Justice should seriously recognize the gravity of the current situation and offer a sincere apology to the public and all members of the judiciary. That apology should also include reflection and regret over the first-ever impeachment of a judge in constitutional history."

However, regarding the impeachment of Chief Judge Im, he said, "I find it difficult to agree with the claim that it was motivated by impure political intentions. Judges should not remain as unchecked, omnipotent powers but must be monitored and checked by other powers, which is a fundamental principle of democracy."

He added, "The impeachment originated from self-reflection within the judicial community and aligns with the resolution of the National Judges’ Representative Meeting, where about 100 judge representatives nationwide gathered, engaged in intense debate, and voted."

Meanwhile, Chief Judge Song, who is from the progressive judges’ group Uri Beop Yeonguhoe, served as the public relations secretary of the National Judges’ Representative Meeting in November 2018, when the meeting passed a resolution with a majority vote to impeach Chief Judge Im and others.

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