South Korea’s Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP) urged the ruling Democratic Party of Korea to back its draft impeachment motion against Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de, a bid that requires support beyond the small party.
Yonhap News Agency and Newsis reported Monday that the measure had not been formally filed with the National Assembly. The Korea Herald reported that the RKP held 12 seats in the 300-member chamber as of Oct. 19, leaving it short of the votes needed even to propose impeachment.
Article 65 of South Korea’s Constitution sets separate thresholds for proposing and approving impeachment: at least one-third of all lawmakers must propose it, and a majority of the Assembly’s full membership must vote in favor. With 300 seats, that means 100 lawmakers must propose a motion and 151 must approve it. The passage threshold is based on the legislature’s full membership, not just the lawmakers present for a vote.
Yonhap and Newsis reported that the motion raises claims involving payments and official expenses, Jo’s handling of a recommendation to fill a Supreme Court vacancy, and his role in a May 2025 election-law case involving President Lee Jae Myung. The RKP says the issues show political partiality. The allegations about payments and expenses have not been established as findings of misconduct.
On May 1, 2025, the Supreme Court set aside an appellate acquittal in Lee’s case under the Public Official Election Act and returned the case to a lower court. The case concerned alleged false statements under the law; the ruling did not convict Lee.
The Korea Herald reported that RKP leader Rep. Shin Chang-sik compared the impeachment effort with the campaign that ended former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s presidency after his December 2024 martial law invocation. If the Assembly passes the motion against Jo, his powers would be suspended while the Constitutional Court reviews whether to remove him. The Assembly vote would start that court review rather than remove him immediately.
