Key Summary
Democratic Party pushes for parliamentary investigation into Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae... Proposal to be reported to the plenary session on November 5
Senior Spokesperson Park Sung-jun states, "The focus is on reinvestigating the Chief Justice's whereabouts at the time of December 3, 2024"
Special Counsel on Insurrection cleared him of charges in December 2025, stating there was no fact of account synchronization or involvement
Self-investigation results on allegations of Shincheonji members joining the party to be reported at a closed-door general meeting of lawmakers on November 3-4
The Democratic Party of Korea is pushing for a parliamentary investigation into Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae. In a briefing on October 30, Democratic Party Senior Spokesperson Park Sung-jun stated that the focus of this parliamentary investigation is to re-examine the actions and whereabouts of Chief Justice Cho at the time of December 3, 2024. The party argues that the non-indictment by the Special Counsel on Insurrection and the dismissal by the comprehensive special counsel were due to insufficient clarification of actions at that time.
The Democratic Party plans to report the parliamentary investigation demand proposal to the plenary session on November 5 and push for the adoption of the plan on the 12th or 19th. Previously, the Special Counsel on Insurrection decided in December 2025 that Chief Justice Cho had not synchronized or been involved with the accounts, thereby clearing him of charges. Separately, the Democratic Party plans to report the results of its internal investigation into allegations of a group of Shincheonji followers joining the party at a closed-door general meeting of lawmakers on November 3 or 4.
The push for a parliamentary investigation into the head of the judiciary is bound to spark controversy as an attempt by the political circle to overturn the already concluded special counsel findings. Reinvestigating a case that was already cleared of charges could be interpreted as a message that the problem lies not with the conclusion, but with the target itself. Critics point out that unless the necessity of a reinvestigation is proven by facts prior to the conclusion, the parliamentary investigation will invite criticism that it is a tool to pressure the judiciary rather than to uncover the truth.