The Democratic Party of Korea is intensifying pressure on Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae to resign after he called for "careful deliberation" on the party's judicial reform legislation.
While party leadership has stopped short of formally pursuing impeachment, hardliners within the ruling coalition are now openly advocating for his removal.
Democratic Party Chairman Chung Chung-rae demanded Cho step down during a Supreme Council meeting, stating that "resignation also has its appropriate timing."
Chung criticized the chief justice's call for reconsideration of the three judicial reform bills, asking whether Cho was "acting as the ringleader of resistance against judicial reform." The Democratic Party passed the so-called "three judicial reform bills" during the February extraordinary session.
The Fair Society Forum, a group of hardline lawmakers within the ruling coalition, held a public hearing on "the necessity and urgency of impeaching Cho Hee-dae."
"We have already prepared an impeachment motion," said Democratic Party lawmaker Min Hyung-bae. "Several members including Representative Choi Hyuk-jin are ready to introduce it. We organized this meeting to gather opinions before filing."
Supreme Council members Moon Jung-bok, Lee Sung-yoon, and Hwang Myung-sun attended the hearing, fueling speculation about potential party-level support for impeachment.
Chief Spokesperson Park Soo-hyun wrote on Facebook that "resigning immediately is the only way to restore trust in the law." However, he later told reporters that "the leadership has not discussed or planned any impeachment."
The ruling party appears poised to continue pressuring the judiciary through additional legislation. Rep. Kim Yong-min, the Democratic Party's chief delegate on the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, announced plans for "second-stage judicial reform."
Kim has introduced a bill to bar judges from the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court, as well as senior prosecutors, from registering as attorneys for three years after leaving office. A bill to abolish the National Court Administration is also expected to be discussed in the March session.