Political parties' flip-flopping is disrespectful to the judiciary

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Political parties' flip-flopping is disrespectful to the judiciary

Published: 28 Mar. 2025, 00:00

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Rep. Kwon Young-se, the interim leader of the conservative People Power Party, speaks to reporters at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on March 26. [NEWS1]

On Wednesday, Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung was acquitted in the appellate trial for his election law violation case. In response, the leadership of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) launched a barrage of criticism against the court. On Thursday, PPP interim leader Kwon Young-se stated during a party meeting, “Declaring the golf remark not guilty makes one question the judges' reading comprehension.” The sudden shift in stance is startling, given that the ruling party had been calling for respect for the judiciary up until the verdict was announced. Ahead of the appellate ruling, PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong had urged Lee to “make a public pledge to accept the court’s decision.” Yet, once the ruling was issued, he criticized it as “a judgment where the verdict was predetermined, and the reasoning was retrofitted afterward.”

From the PPP’s perspective, it is inconceivable that a case in which the first court had handed down a one-year prison sentence with a two-year suspension was overturned with a full acquittal. However, accepting a ruling means respecting an outcome even when it is unfavorable. No one rejects a decision that suits them. It is contradictory for the ruling party to have pressured the opposition to respect the judiciary only to lash out when the judgment was not to its liking.

The DP, which is now lambasting the ruling party for its response, is hardly in a position to claim the moral high ground. DP floor leader Park Chan-dae attacked the PPP for “flip-flopping within hours — calling for respect for the judiciary in the morning and then attacking the judges by the afternoon when the acquittal was announced.” Yet, Park himself had previously reacted quite differently. When Lee was convicted in his first trial last November, Park denounced the ruling as “a political verdict aiding the prosecution dictatorship in eliminating political rivals.” Another DP Supreme Council member, Han Jun-ho, had also criticized the judiciary, arguing that “the court merely parroted the prosecution’s distorted and fabricated indictment.” Now that Lee has been acquitted, the DP is praising the court, calling the ruling “justice served.”

Supporters of Democratic Party leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung celebrate outside the Seoul High Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on March 26, after the court acquitted him on all counts of lying during his last presidential campaign. [NEWS1]

Such blatant double standards from both the ruling and opposition parties erode public trust in the judiciary and the political system as a whole. At the heart of this turmoil is the fundamental inability of Korea’s political leaders to resolve differences and conflicts through political negotiations. Instead of engaging in dialogue and compromise, they resort to extreme measures to overpower their opponents, leading to an endless cycle of legal battles. As judicialization of politics becomes more common, reactions to court rulings have become increasingly extreme — an ironic and troubling reflection of Korean politics.

Currently, Korea is experiencing heightened divisions ahead of the Constitutional Court’s ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment. Respecting the court’s decision is essential to mending these fractures. With neither President Yoon nor DP leader Lee having made a clear pledge to accept the rulings to come, both parties are only deepening national divisions by taking turns attacking the judiciary. The Supreme Court still has the final say on Lee’s case, while the Constitutional Court’s decision on Yoon’s impeachment will be final. Whether the public accepts these judicial decisions largely depends on how politicians respond. Both parties must take this responsibility seriously.

Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.