Anchor: Rival political camps remain at odds over the appointment of Constitutional Court Justice nominee Ma Eun-hyuk as the top court is expected to decide President Yoon Suk Yeol’s fate within the next few weeks. But if Ma is appointed as the court’s ninth justice, its ruling on Yoon could come out later than expected.
Our Bae Joo-yon has more.

Report: The ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party continue to lock horns over whether acting President Choi Sang-mok should appoint Constitutional Court Justice nominee Ma Eun-hyuk. 

The ruling party’s interim chief, Kwon Young-se, said on Facebook on Monday that Choi must refuse to appoint Ma for the sake of the nation’s future and must not be intimidated by the opposition party’s threats.

The previous day, the party chief called Ma’s appointment problematic, saying there was no bipartisan agreement on the matter. 

Meanwhile, the main opposition Democratic Party urged the acting president to appoint Ma, hinting that until he does, the party will boycott the three-way consultative body involving the government and rival political camps. 

The party’s deputy floor leader, Park Sung-joon, said Monday on a radio show that his party has continually cited the Constitutional Court’s ruling last week that Choi infringed on the National Assembly’s rights by not appointing Ma.

Ma’s appointment has drawn heated debate because he previously worked at a judges’ association that is considered progressive, and because his appointment could be a variable in Yoon’s impeachment trial.

If Ma is appointed before the Constitutional Court rules on Yoon’s impeachment, the court will have to decide whether to include Ma in the proceedings. 

If it decides not to include him, the eight sitting justices will likely hand down their verdict in the middle of this month as initially planned.

But if Ma takes part in Yoon’s trial, the verdict will inevitably be delayed. 

That’s because the court would have to resume hearings to allow all nine justices to listen to recordings of all the testimony and evidence that have been presented. 

A shorter hearing is possible whereby the chief justice explains the key points, but Yoon's side may not agree to such proceedings. 

Under the law, at least six justices must approve an impeachment for it to be upheld.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.