"Choyotomi Hideyoshi" Composite Photo at National Audit Sparks Outcry as "Vulgar" and "Frenzied"

Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae Appears at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee Audit on the 13th
Choi Hyukjin Questions with "Choyotomi Hideyoshi" Photo
Keum Tae-seop: "The Most Vulgar Scene," Jin Joongkwon: "A Frenzied Show"

On the 13th, during the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's national audit at the National Assembly, a controversy arose when independent lawmaker Choi Hyukjin brought a composite photo depicting Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae alongside the Japanese warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Former Democratic Party lawmaker Keum Tae-seop posted a photo on his social network service (SNS) showing Representative Choi waving the composite image labeled "Choyotomi Hideyoshi," criticizing it as "the most vulgar scene."

Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae is attending the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's national audit held at the National Assembly on the 13th. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Former lawmaker Keum stated, "This photo captures the moment when Representative Choi claimed, 'President Yoon Suk-yeol's appointment of Cho Hee-dae was a strategic choice to turn the Supreme Court of Korea into the Supreme Court of Japan.' Setting aside how absurd this is, the conspiratorial perspective, demonization of the opposing side, and discriminatory view embedded in that statement are suffocating." He added, "As a citizen of the Republic of Korea, I am ashamed and horrified that such people claim to represent the public. I have seen many disgraceful things in politics, but this scene may be the most vulgar and disgraceful of all."

It is known that the composite photo Representative Choi presented is identical to an image generated in early May by some ruling party supporters on political communities and social media to criticize Chief Justice Cho, following the Supreme Court's decision to remand the case involving then-presidential candidate Lee Jaemyung of the Democratic Party.

Composite photo uploaded by independent lawmaker Choi Hyukjin. NATV National Assembly Broadcasting YouTube

Jin Joongkwon, a special professor at Kwangwoon University, condemned the overall national audit by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee as a "frenzied Red Guard show." Professor Jin said, "I watched live as the head of the judiciary was held hostage and publicly humiliated for an hour and a half by political thugs wearing armbands, witnessing a 21st-century people's tribunal. It is devastating. Fandom politics is devouring the party, the National Assembly, and now even the judiciary." He added, "The chaos in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee is now beyond the control of both the ruling party and the presidential office."

Chief Justice Cho emphasized that he had never had any private meetings or conversations with individuals implicated in the so-called "presidential election intervention allegations." In his closing remarks before the end of the audit, he stated, "Regarding the suspicions raised about my personal conduct, I have already clarified through the spokesperson of the Court Administration Office that these allegations are completely unfounded. In the same vein, I want to reiterate that I have never had any private meetings, conversations, or discussions regarding the case with any of the individuals mentioned in some committee members' questions."

Regarding the Supreme Court's decision to remand the presidential election law case, he added, "It is unfortunate that there seems to be distrust about the background of the swift deliberation and ruling. Personally, I am eager to dispel this distrust." However, he continued, "There is a long-standing legal maxim that 'judges speak through their rulings.' This case was decided by the full bench of 12 Supreme Court justices, including myself, and the essence of the deliberations and discussions held by the full bench is fully reflected in the written judgment."

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