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Assembly committee passes resolution urging appointment of Constitutional Court justice

Published: 31 Mar. 2025, 16:38 Updated: 31 Mar. 2025, 19:17

Ma Eun-hyuck, nominee for Constitutional Court justice, speaks to lawmakers duriing a parliamentary hearing at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Dec. 23, 2024. [NEWS1]

A resolution urging the appointment of Ma Eun-hyuk as a Constitutional Court justice passed the National Assembly’s House Steering Committee on Monday, led by the liberal Democratic Party (DP) and other opposition parties.

Lawmakers from the conservative People Power Party (PPP) did not attend the committee’s plenary session.

“The current chaos here in Korea started from former acting President Choi Sang-mok and current acting President Han Duck-soo,” said DP leader Lee Jae-myung in the liberal party’s supreme council meeting on Monday. “The refusal of the two people to appoint nominee Ma Eun-hyuk has created this confusion.”

Lee described Choi and Han’s actions as “destroying the constitutional order” and “sowing unrest among the people,” stressing that refusing to nominate a justice nominee the parliament approved is “an infringement of the National Assembly's constitutional authority to structure the Constitution.”

“The Constitutional Court should immediately answer the people’s calling for the removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol,” said DP supreme council member Kim Min-seok, urging Han to approve the nomination of Ma to “heal the unconstitutional flaw of the Constitutional Court.”

"April 1 is the deadline,” said Kim.

The DP plans to submit impeachment motions against both Han and Choi — commonly referred to as “double impeachment” — to the National Assembly as early as April 2 or 3 if Ma’s appointment is not approved.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]