Korean Association of Law Professors: "Whoever Acts as President Must Appoint Constitutional Court Justices Without Delay"

155 National Law Professors Announce Third Political Statement

Amid delays in forming the 'complete panel of nine' due to the refusal to appoint Constitutional Court justice candidates during the presidential impeachment phase, the Korean Association of Law Professors has urged that "regardless of who acts as the president's authority, the justice candidates elected by the National Assembly must be appointed without delay."

Constitutional Court flag. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the legal community on the 29th, 155 professors affiliated with the Korean Association of Law Professors (President Cho Hong-sik) issued a 'third political statement' the previous day, stating, "The president has the duty to promptly appoint Constitutional Court justices to normalize constitutional institutions, and in the current situation where the constitutional order is in crisis, the significance of this duty inevitably becomes even more grave," adding, "Unjust refusal or neglect of this duty constitutes a more serious constitutional violation."

The Korean Association of Law Professors emphasized, "Unlike the three justices effectively appointed by the president, the president's appointment authority over the three justices elected by the National Assembly or the three nominated by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is merely formal," and "In accordance with the principle of separation of powers, the National Assembly's right to elect justices must be respected, and all presidents to date have appointed justices based on this respect."

They continued, "The presidential impeachment trial is the most critical event for the protection and maintenance of our constitutional order, and the appointment of justices is the most urgent task necessary to resolve the current situation and restore the constitutional order," urging once again, "This case should proceed swiftly and fairly with the originally constitutionally intended panel of nine justices."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.