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PPP calls on acting president to resist DP pressure on judicial appointment

Published: 03 Mar. 2025, 17:39

MICHAEL LEE
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Rep. Park Soo-young of the conservative People Power Party on hunger strike at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on March 3 to oppose Ma Eun-hyuk's appointment to the Constitutional Court. [NEWS1]

Members of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) urged acting President Choi Sang-mok once more on Monday to not appoint Ma Eun-hyuk to the Constitutional Court.

In a message uploaded to his official Facebook account, Rep. Kweon Seong-dong said that Choi “should not give into pressure” from the liberal Democratic Party (DP), which controls a majority in the National Assembly, to approve Ma’s nomination.

Kweon argued that Choi could “exacerbate” ongoing political turmoil by appointing Ma to the court, which is due to soon deliver a decision regarding President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment.

The court recently ruled that the acting president had infringed on the National Assembly’s right to fill three seats on its nine-member bench by failing to approve Ma’s nomination while appointing two other justices who had received separate backing from the PPP and DP.

However, the court also said it could not force Choi to appoint Ma, a senior judge in the Seoul Western District Court who is widely seen as left-leaning.

Kweon previously called on Choi to delay approving Ma’s nomination to prevent a ninth justice from partaking in the court’s deliberations after the conclusion of Yoon’s impeachment trial last week.

The court is likely to announce its verdict sometime this month. At least six of the current eight justices must vote to uphold Yoon’s impeachment to effect his removal from office.

In a radio interview with KBS, PPP Rep. Kwon Young-jin said it is “obvious” that Ma would vote in favor of Yoon’s impeachment.

Kwon also said that the court’s legitimacy would be called into question if it dismissed Yoon after Ma had joined its bench.

In a statement released on Monday, PPP spokesperson Rep. Park Soo-min argued that “anyone can see how Ma’s appointment could cause further political chaos,” adding that Choi should “try to minimize turmoil.”

Park later told reporters that the acting president should “act carefully before changing the composition of the Constitutional Court” and “maintain the status quo.”

Acting President Choi Sang-mok speaks at a ceremony marking the 106th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement at Soongeui Woman's University in Jung District, central Seoul. [MINISTRY OF ECONOMY AND FINANCE]

How Choi plans to respond to the court’s ruling remains unclear.

During his speech on Saturday to mark the 106th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement, Choi called for national unity without referring to specific political controversies.

A high-ranking PPP official who spoke to the JoongAng Ilbo on condition of anonymity said Kweon urged Choi to not appoint Ma, but that the acting president only said that he “understood” what the PPP floor leader was telling him.

“We have no idea what [the acting president] is actually thinking,” the official told the JoongAng Ilbo.

PPP Rep. Park Soo-young, who studied law at Seoul National University at the same time as Choi, went on a hunger strike starting Sunday to express his opposition to Ma’s potential appointment.

By contrast, the DP has called on Choi to approve Ma’s nomination immediately, warning that it could otherwise cease all cooperation with the government.

In a radio interview with MBC on Monday, DP spokesperson Rep. Park Sung-joon said that his party would boycott joint talks with the government and PPP if Choi does not announce his intent to appoint Ma at the Cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday.

BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]