On February 13, Jeong Cheong-rae, the leader of South Korea's Democratic Party, reiterated his commitment to ensure that judicial reform is processed without compromise in the upcoming extraordinary session of the National Assembly. This urgency comes despite President Lee Jae-myung's requests for rapid processing of livelihood-related legislations, suggesting that Jeong's focus on the judicial reform is additionally aimed at delivering a 'warning' to the judiciary while reorganizing party leadership following controversies surrounding party consolidation negotiations.

During a Supreme Council meeting, Jeong highlighted the importance of expanding the number of Supreme Court judges and proposed new measures to enhance basic rights through constitutional reforms. He portrayed judicial reforms—including the introduction of penalties for judicial distortion—as essential actions that needed to be executed firmly in February. Jeong's persistent calls for these reforms reflected underlying concerns regarding recent judicial verdicts that have drawn criticism for their leniency in high-profile cases related to national security and misconduct in governance, aiming to restore public trust in the judiciary.

Jeong's remarks also included a pointed critique of Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, who opposed the reform bills after a lengthy public consultation process. Jeong expressed confusion over Cho’s change of stance, labeling it as a delayed response and highlighting the tensions within the Democratic Party exacerbated by the failed consolidation with the Justice Reform Party. By emphasizing the immediacy of judicial reforms, Jeong aims to reassure party supporters who may feel frustrated with delays, indicating a dual approach of enforcing substantive legal changes while re-establishing strong leadership within his party.