Photo: Hall of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Korea. Credit: Supreme Court.
By rushing to overturn Lee Jae-myung 이재명’s not-guilty verdict just days before the presidential election, the Supreme Court 대법원 blatantly inserted itself into electoral politics. (See previous coverage, “Total War of Institutions.”) But the National Assembly 국회’s proposed response - to increase the number of Supreme Court justices and dilute their power - is not a slam dunk in the court of public opinion.
In this week’s Gallup Korea poll, 43% said the current 14-member bench should remain, while 38% approved the plan to enlarge the bench to 26 justices. The breakdown was mostly partisan, with 71% of conservatives in favor of keeping the current composition while 65% of liberals in favor of increasing the number of justices.
