South Korean Presidential Office Agrees 'In Principle' That Chief Justice Should Reflect On Calls For Resignation

(MENAFN- IANS) Seoul, Sep 15 (IANS) The presidential office said Monday it agrees "in principle" that Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae should reflect on calls for his resignation.

The remark came after Rep. Choo Mi-ae, chair of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, called for Cho's resignation in a Facebook post the previous day, accusing him of "shielding" figures involved in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law imposition by delaying their trials.

"We agree in principle that if there is public demand and it reflects the needs of the times, it is necessary as an 'appointed authority' to reflect on the plausibility and reasons for such demands," presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said during a press briefing, when asked to comment on Choo's remarks.

Kang stressed the need to respect the National Assembly as the "foremost elected body representing the spirit of the Constitution and the will of the people," in a thinly veiled message that the judiciary, which is an appointed body, should reflect on Choo's calls.

Kang also addressed the judiciary's recent call for caution on the ruling Democratic Party (DP)'s judiciary reform bills, Yonhap news agency reported.

"An authority appointed by indirect appointing power should fully observe the legislature's discussions ... rather than doubting the legislature's ability to exercise self-correction and hold internal deliberations," she said.

Cho earlier stressed the importance of respecting the independence of the judiciary, vowing to seek what he called the "right path" to judicial reform.

Separately, DP leader Jung Chung-rae also called for Cho's resignation during the party's supreme council meeting earlier in the day.

The judicial reform bills being pushed by the DP call for increasing the number of Supreme Court justices from the current 14 to 30, overhauling the recommendation process for Supreme Court justices and evaluation method for judges, expanding public access to lower-court rulings and introducing a preexamination system for search and seizure warrants.

The party has said it aims to pass the bills before the extended Chuseok holiday that begins October 3.

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