Anchor: With only six justices currently sitting on the nine-member Constitutional Court, the opposition is seeking to fill the vacancies quickly so the court can proceed with President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial under a full bench. The ruling party, on the other hand, says the appointments should not take place before the court rules on the validity of the impeachment.
Choi You Sun reports.
Report: As the Constitutional Court accelerates proceedings in the trial to determine President Yoon Suk Yeol’s fate after the December 3 martial law fiasco, rival political parties remain at odds over the appointment of three justices to the nine-member bench.
While the main opposition Democratic Party(DP) wants lawmakers to put forth candidate recommendations, two from the opposition and one from the ruling People Power Party(PPP), ruling party floor leader Kweon Seong-dong has put on the brakes.
Arguing that it would be unjust for acting President Han Duck-soo to appoint Constitutional Court justices while the president is suspended from his duties, not having vacated the post, Kweon said Tuesday that no appointments can be made before the court decides whether to reinstate Yoon or remove him from office.
In response, the main opposition accused the ruling side of deliberately delaying the appointments to benefit Yoon.
DP floor leader Park Chan-dae urged the PPP to engage in talks on the justice nominee confirmation hearings, saying the court must try the case with all nine members on the bench to guarantee fairness.
The DP plans to push forward with the entire appointment process, including the hearings, despite the PPP’s planned boycott.
Meanwhile, the rival parties also locked horns over the acting president’s right to ask parliament to reconsider a package of six bills the opposition passed unilaterally.
The PPP said it is calling on the acting president to challenge the bills, one of which would require the government to buy surplus rice, while the DP accused the ruling party of having a double standard on the acting president’s rights.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.