National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik urged acting President Choi Sang-mok to immediately appoint Constitutional Court justice nominee Ma Eun-hyuk.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Woo said he was sternly demanding that Choi appoint Ma, whose nomination was put forth by the Assembly.

The speaker emphasized that the appointment, which Choi deferred in late December, citing the need for bipartisan agreement, is part of the acting president’s constitutional duty.

Woo accused Choi of betraying his duty as a public official to defend the Constitution by having yet to appoint Ma two weeks after the Constitutional Court ruled that not doing so was unconstitutional.

The speaker criticized the acting president for denying the constitutional positions of parliament and the court, undermining the nation’s foundation and the discipline of public office, aggravating national instability and threatening social unity.