Chief Justice Cho completely denies ”allegations of meeting” with former Prime Minister Han Deok-soo (South Korea)

South Korean Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae has completely denied the allegations of a meeting with former Prime Minister Han Deok-soo, which have been raised mainly by the progressive ruling Democratic Party of Korea.
He stated that he had not held any consultations with outsiders regarding the appeal hearing for President Lee Jae-myung's violation of the Public Offices Election Act.
On the 17th, Chief Justice Cho issued a statement saying, "Recently, in the political sphere, Chief Justice Cho met with former Prime Minister Han and others,
Suspicions have been raised that the two discussed how to handle the president's case of violating the Public Offices Election Act," he said. "The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has not communicated with former Prime Minister Han or anyone outside the Supreme Court regarding the criminal case.
"I want to be clear that I have had no such discussions or meetings with any of the other individuals named," he added.
At around 6:03 pm on the same day, Chief Justice Cho left the Supreme Court and said, "The Democratic Party of Korea says there is recording evidence that they met with former Prime Minister Han.
He did not answer any questions from reporters, such as "What do you think about this?", "What is your view on the demands for resignation from the political world?", and "What do you think about the assessment that the cancellation and remand means that you have lost your political neutrality?"
He clasped his hands together and said, "Thank you for your hard work," before getting into his car. A Supreme Court official said, "From December 2024 until May 1, 2025, when the full bench will issue its decision, there will be no outside commentary.
"I have not spoken to anyone about the incident," he explained. This is in reference to former Prime Minister Han, former President Yoon Seok-yeol, who is rumored to be involved in the impeachment trial, and other people who have spoken to him about the incident.
This is interpreted to mean that he did not meet with former Prosecutor General Jeong Sang-myeong or others, and that there was no discussion whatsoever regarding President Lee's case.
The allegations were made during a questioning session with the government at the National Assembly on the 16th of this month, when Democratic Party lawmaker Bu Seung-chan questioned Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho and former Prime Minister Han.
The matter was raised in response to information that the prime minister had met with the president. Rep. Hu said that three days after the decision to impeach former President Yoon, the two met and Chief Justice Cho said, "If the case of Lee Jae-myung is brought to the Supreme Court,
Also, on the morning of the same day, Jeong Cheong-rae, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "If the allegations are true, they are politically biased and there are other things that are not known.
"There are serious issues, so it is only natural that there are calls for his resignation. It is extremely inappropriate for him to continue in his role as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court," he said, urging him to resign. He also stated that the special prosecutor for civil unrest should investigate Chief Justice Cho.
In response, Park Ji-young, assistant special prosecutor for the special investigation team for the insurrection, said, "Although there is a complaint (about Chief Justice Cho), we cannot begin an investigation at this stage."
"If they are not the target, they cannot be investigated. The 'related provisions' (in the Special Prosecutor Act) are vague, and the revised bill has not yet been enacted."