Subpoena of Chief Justices Is Not Official Decision of Committee, Possibly Ending Up In Nothing

On September 9, 2002, Ham Suk-jae, chairman of Congressional Justice Committee, explained, regarding the issue arising out of the decision to subpoena Chief Justice Choi Jong-young and Chief Constitutional Court Justice Yoon Young-chul as witness before the committee’s hearing, “The decision was just made between two senior members of the committee. It’s not the final one. In other words, our committee has not decided to subpoena them.”

Accordingly, the plan to subpoena two Chief Justices will be scrapped.

Chairman Ham explained in an afternoon meeting with the Speaker Park Kwan-yong on Sep. 9 and said, “All they meant was we wished the two Justices would come to Congress and witness the vivid activities of congressmen for their future reference.”

Speaker’s spokesman Choi Goo-sik confirmed that Speaker Park replied, “The matter is related to the independence of the Judiciary. We have to consider it carefully.”

Previously, the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court strongly protested the Sep. 6th agreement between two senior members of Grand National Party and Millennium Democratic Party that they would subpoena the two Justices. In response, the two courts criticized the decision, citing it would violate the separation of powers.

Yeon-Wook Jung jyw11@donga.com