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Acting president appoints Ma Eun-hyuk to Constitutional Court

Published: 08 Apr. 2025, 12:10

Acting President Han Duck-soo speaks at a Cabinet meeting at the Government Complex Seoul in Jung District, central Seoul on April 8. [YONHAP]

Acting President Han Duck-soo announced Tuesday that he has appointed Ma Eun-hyuk as a justice of the Constitutional Court.

In a public address, Han said the appointment was part of a broader effort to resolve the prolonged dispute over the composition of the Constitutional Court.

“I have made and carried out the following decisions today,” Han said, noting the controversy surrounding recent judicial nominations.

Han also nominated Lee Wan-kyu, current head of the Ministry of Government Legislation and Ham Sang-hoon, a senior judge at the Seoul High Court, to succeed outgoing justices Moon Hyung-bae and Lee Mi-sun. Their terms are set to end in 10 days.

Han also confirmed the appointment of Supreme Court nominee Ma Yong-joo, who completed both the recommendation process by the Chief Justice and confirmation by the National Assembly.

Han cited ongoing political instability in explaining the urgency of the nominations. He noted that the National Assembly is still reviewing an impeachment motion against the deputy prime minister for economic affairs and that the impeachment trial of the national police chief remains unresolved.

“In such a situation, any delay in Constitutional Court decisions caused by vacancies could seriously disrupt presidential election management, urgent budget planning and trade negotiations,” Han said. “It could also deepen national division.”

Han described Lee and Ham as highly respected legal professionals with long careers in the prosecution and judiciary, respectively. “They are well suited to protect both individual rights and national interests with balanced and fair rulings,” he said.

Lee Wan-kyu is known as a close associate of former president Yoon Suk Yeol, having trained with him at the Judicial Research and Training Institute.

Ham Sang-hoon previously sentenced former South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kyung-soo to a two-year prison term in a high-profile defamation case.

“I hope the addition of Justice Ma and the two nominees will enable the Constitutional Court to continue fulfilling its essential role as a guardian of constitutional order,” Han said. “I made these decisions with only the country’s best interest in mind and accept full responsibility for them.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY LEE JI-YOUNG [[email protected]]