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Conservative presidential hopeful Hong Joon-pyo calls for end to Constitutional Court

Published: 07 Apr. 2025, 09:11

Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo speaks during a conference at Seoul National University in Gwanak District, southern Seoul, on March 19. [NEWS1]

Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, who has declared his intention to run in the next presidential election, said Monday that Korea should abolish the Constitutional Court and instead create a new constitutional division within the Supreme Court.

“The Constitutional Court has become a symbol of political strife and division,” Hong wrote on his Facebook account, proposing amending the Constitution to disband the court. He suggested appointing four additional Supreme Court justices and establishing a “constitutional division” within the Supreme Court to assume its responsibilities.

“We adopted a German-style Constitutional Court system under the 1987 constitutional revision, but due to its composition, the court has long been subject to political influence and has remained at the center of political disputes,” he said.

Hong also criticized what he described as increasingly ideological nominees to the Constitutional Court.

“This has fueled skepticism about the court’s necessity,” he said. “While the Supreme Court reaches conclusions based on legal reasoning, the Constitutional Court often seems to arrive at a conclusion first and then fits legal logic around it, undermining the credibility of its rulings.”

“It is time to reform the constitutional adjudication system,” Hong added. “The abolition of the Constitutional Court should be a top priority in any constitutional amendment.”

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

BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]