Acting Chief Choi Hesitates to Appoint Ma Eun-hyeok Despite Constitutional Court Ruling... Democratic Party Urges "Immediate Appointment"

Choi's Side: "Will Carefully Review the Ruling"
Deliberating on Political Judgment Rather Than Immediate Appointment
Democratic Party: "Apologize to the Public and Appoint Immediately"

Choe Sang-mok, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Economy and Finance, is entering the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 25th. Photo by Yonhap News

The Constitutional Court ruled that the 'non-appointment of Ma Eun-hyeok as a Constitutional Court Justice candidate' was an illegal act, but Choi Sang-mok, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, is continuing to deliberate without appointing him immediately.

The Democratic Party urged Acting Prime Minister Choi, saying, "Apologize to the public immediately and appoint candidate Ma without delay today."

A Ministry of Economy and Finance official said in a phone call on the 27th, "We respect the Constitutional Court's decision," adding, "The Acting Prime Minister will carefully review the ruling." This is interpreted as Choi intending to analyze the ruling's intent and gather opinions before making a political judgment, rather than appointing candidate Ma immediately following the court's decision.

Earlier, the Constitutional Court partially accepted the constitutional dispute petition filed by National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik against Acting Prime Minister Choi with a unanimous decision by all justices. The court ruled that "the failure to appoint Ma Eun-hyeok, who was elected by the petitioner (Speaker Woo), as a Constitutional Court Justice infringed upon the petitioner's constitutional right to constitute the Constitutional Court through the election of justices."

However, there is analysis that Acting Prime Minister Choi's deliberation may be prolonged because the appointment of candidate Ma could also affect the impeachment trial against President Yoon Seok-yeol.

In particular, since Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was impeached, is expected to soon return to his duties as Acting Prime Minister following a dismissal ruling by the Constitutional Court, there is a possibility that Acting Prime Minister Choi will decide on the appointment of candidate Ma after seeing the conclusion of Prime Minister Han's impeachment trial.

However, since Acting Prime Minister Choi has expressed a position of "respecting the Constitutional Court's decision," the possibility of a sudden appointment cannot be ruled out. The burden of not following the court's decision as Acting Prime Minister would inevitably be significant.

The Democratic Party targeted Acting Prime Minister Choi, urging him to appoint candidate Ma immediately.

Park Chan-dae, the Democratic Party floor leader, said at a party meeting in the afternoon, "The Constitutional Court ruled that not appointing candidate Ma infringed upon the National Assembly's right to elect," adding, "The court's ruling reaffirmed common sense and principles."

He emphasized, "Acting Prime Minister Choi must immediately apologize to the public for infringing upon the National Assembly's authority and acting against the Constitution, and appoint candidate Ma without delay."

Democratic Party Floor Leader Park Chan-dae is speaking at the Policy Coordination Meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 27th. Photo by Yonhap News

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