Goyang: Judges nationwide will hold an extraordinary meeting later this month to discuss the controversy surrounding presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung's election law violation case, a judges' association said Friday. The meeting will take place on May 26 at the Judicial Research and Training Institute in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, after the association requested it to its chair, Judge Kim Ye-young of the Seoul Southern District Court, citing the need to address suspicions about the courts' political neutrality and potential damage to public confidence in the judiciary.
According to Yonhap News Agency, controversy erupted after the Supreme Court issued an unusually swift decision last week to send Lee's case back to the Seoul High Court for a retrial. The decision was made on the grounds of errors in the previous acquittal of Lee, who was charged with making false statements during the 2021 presidential race. Lee's liberal Democratic Party (DP) criticized the decision as interference in the upcoming June 3 presidential election, as a guilty verdict could potentially disqualify him from participating in the race.
The judges' association stated that the meeting was requested after securing consent from at least one-fifth of its members. The association is composed of delegates from all levels of courts nationwide, currently numbering 126 members, including the chair.
Key agenda items for the meeting will likely include deliberations on whether to express regret over the Supreme Court's rapid ruling, which has prompted suspicions regarding its political neutrality. Additionally, discussions may focus on defining the DP's calls for the resignation of Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae as an infringement on the judiciary's independence.