Kim Min-seok speaks with Jo for about 20 minutes after condolence visit

Seo Young-gyo, chair of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, leaves after paying her respects at the funeral home for Jo Bu-hwan, father of Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de, at Pohang St. Mary's Hospital in Nam-gu, Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, on Monday. [Newsis]
Seo Young-gyo, chair of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, leaves after paying her respects at the funeral home for Jo Bu-hwan, father of Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de, at Pohang St. Mary's Hospital in Nam-gu, Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, on Monday. [Newsis]

Leaders from both the ruling and opposition parties visited the funeral home for the late father of Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de.

Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok traveled to the funeral home in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, on Monday evening to offer condolences to Jo and other bereaved family members.

Kim spoke with Jo for about 20 minutes after the condolence visit, though no substantive issues — including the resubmission of Supreme Court justice nominations — were discussed, according to sources. Earlier, Kim had asked party members to refrain from directly naming or calling out Jo personally during the mourning period.

People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik also visited the funeral home to pay his respects.

Lawmakers from both parties on the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee also made condolence visits.

Democratic Party members of the committee — including Chair Seo Young-gyo and lawmakers Kim Ki-pyo and Kim Nam-hee — visited the funeral home Monday afternoon. Kim Seung-won, the Democratic Party lawmaker serving as the committee's ruling-party floor manager, who has been nominated as minister of justice candidate, did not attend.

People Power Party lawmakers on the committee, including floor manager Park Hyeong-su and members Jo Bae-suk, Gwak Gyu-taek and Lee In-seon, also paid their respects.

The committee had planned to hold a plenary session Monday afternoon to conduct an emergency inquiry into Jo's written submission of Supreme Court justice nominations, but canceled the session following the news of his father's death.


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