Seoul: Lawmakers on the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee exchanged insults on Tuesday, following Chair Choo Mi-ae of the Democratic Party's decision to force through a motion for an "emergency hearing" for Chief Justice Jo Hee-de. Choo, backed by ruling party lawmakers, advanced the proposal despite its absence from the agenda and amidst strong objections from the opposition.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Democratic Party had previously attempted to hold a hearing last May while they were in opposition, but the effort failed as Jo and all 11 Supreme Court justices declined to appear. Now, the ruling party is determined to summon the sitting chief justice and justices as witnesses for the first time in constitutional history, even suggesting the possibility of impeachment if they refuse. Concerns about the separation of powers and judicial independence have been dismissed.
The committee itself has also encountered issues. All bills that pass through other committees must be reviewed by the Legislation Committee for legal consistency and wording. Historically, this body has served as a forum for revisiting bills pushed through by the majority against opposition resistance. Since the 17th National Assembly in 2004, the majority party has held the speaker's post, while the second-largest party has chaired the committee under a gentlemen's agreement.
That arrangement ended in 2020 when the Democratic Party unilaterally appointed its own chair, prompting a backlash. After temporarily handing the post to the People Power Party in 2022, the Democrats reclaimed it following last year's elections, eliminating a mechanism to check majority dominance.
Under the current administration, the committee has become a partisan battleground. Disputes have erupted over the opposition's attempt to appoint Rep. Na Kyung-won as a ranking member. The People Power Party erred in nominating Na, whose spouse is a sitting judge, raising conflict-of-interest questions. However, the ruling party bears greater responsibility for blocking her appointment through an unprecedented rejection vote.
The atmosphere in the chamber has been tense. In one meeting, Choo sarcastically asked, "Does doing this help your 'brother' Yoon Suk Yeol?" while People Power lawmaker Song Seok-jun retorted that the committee had become a place where Choo's family name meant "disgrace" rather than "autumn." Such exchanges diminish the dignity of the committee, which has long been regarded as the "committee of committees."
As the majority party occupying a post customarily yielded to the opposition, the Democrats have a duty to lead the committee with fairness. Instead, by forcing through controversial matters like the Jo hearing, they have transformed what should be a brake on legislative excess into an accelerator for unilateral power. If the Democrats cannot manage the committee as a venue for compromise, they would better serve parliamentary democracy by handing the chairmanship back to the opposition.