Controversy over non-lawyer justices

[Anchor]

Democratic Party lawmaker Park Beom-kye has proposed a controversial 'Non-Lawyer Supreme Court Justice Appointment Law,' and candidate Lee Jae-myung has repeatedly distanced himself from it.

He stated that it is not the party's position but rather a personal belief of the lawmaker.
Reporter Lee Yoon-woo reports on the intentions behind this, as well as the stance of the People Power Party.

[Report]

The amendment to the Court Organization Act, led by Democratic Party lawmaker Park Beom-kye.

The controversy arose from the provision that allows non-lawyers to be appointed as Supreme Court justices if they meet certain qualifications.

Candidate Lee Jae-myung emphasized once again that this is neither the party's position nor his own opinion.

[Lee Jae-myung/Democratic Party Presidential Candidate: "Did I not clearly instruct the election committee not to mention it anymore? My exact position is that this is not the time for such discussions."]

He acknowledged the importance of judicial reform but stated that it is not the time to lose momentum early in the administration.

The election committee is also taking steps to manage the situation.

They explained that while reforms will be made, they will be adjusted to align with public sentiment.

[Yoon Yeo-jun/Democratic Party Chief Election Committee Chair: "A Supreme Court justice is the highest rank among judges. So, would it be possible for a non-lawyer to take that position? Generally, I think that is what many people would think."]

The People Power Party criticized this as an attempt to create a 'shielding court' for Lee Jae-myung and a 'puppet court' for the Democratic Party.

[Yoo Sang-beom/People Power Party Legislative Overreach Prevention Committee Chair: "This is a dangerous attempt that shakes the foundation of the rule of law and the separation of powers, effectively aiming to create a court to shield Lee Jae-myung court."]

While Lee subtly distanced himself from the proposal, the PPP pointed out that candidate Lee is behind it.

[Na Kyung-won/People Power Party Co-Chair of the Election Committee: "Candidate Lee Jae-myung denied it, but the person who created that bill is Park Beom-kye, who served as the Minister of Justice and is currently the secretary of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee."]

The People Power Party urged that the National Association of Judges meeting, which will be held tomorrow (May 26), should be a place where the independence of the judiciary is protected, and they appealed for a precious vote to put an end to candidate Lee Jae-myung's attempts to seize control of the judiciary.

This is KBS News, Lee Yoon-woo.