Anchor: Despite strong objections from the opposition bloc, President Moon Jae-in appointed two controversial Constitutional Court justice nominees without parliamentary consent.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: According to senior presidential public relations secretary Yoon Do-han, President Moon Jae-in electronically approved appointments of Constitutional Court justice nominees Lee Mi-sun and Moon Hyung-bae from Uzbekistan on Friday.

Yoon said the appointments were approved while Moon tours Central Asia this week to avoid a vacuum in the operation of the Constitutional Court after the six-year terms of two justices ended on Thursday.

Both the main opposition Liberty Korea Party(LKP) and the minor Bareunmirae Party had strongly objected to the appointment of Lee over allegations that she and her husband traded shares of companies linked to trials they were involved in.

Earlier on Friday, LKP floor leader Na Kyung-won claimed the appointments of the two justices would reflect the Moon administration's move towards a "leftist dictatorship."

The LKP plans to stage a massive rally at Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul on Saturday to condemn the administration's personnel appointments.

While demanding a public apology from the president and the dismissals of the secretaries responsible for the nominations, the LKP will also take aim at the government's key labor and economic policies, including its income-led growth strategy.

The opposition bloc is threatening to boycott parliament amid a string of pending bills aimed at boosting the local economy and accelerating the government's reform drive.

It remains to be seen whether the opposition will agree to seek ways to resolve the current standoff at a meeting of a consultative body involving the rival parties and the government after Moon returns from his overseas trip. 
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.