Choi Sang-mok Impeachment and Han Deok-su Re-impeachment?…Opposition Pushing Hard for Ma Eun-hyeok Appointment

As the Constitutional Court Delays Ruling on President Yoon's Impeachment,
Democratic Party Considers Convening Full Committee
and Reviewing Legal Amendment to Set Deadline for Appointment of Constitutional Court Justices

Amid various speculations regarding the Constitutional Court's ruling date for the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol, the Democratic Party of Korea is focusing its efforts on pressuring the appointment of Ma Eun-hyuk as a Constitutional Court justice nominee. They are even considering the option of impeaching Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who has returned as acting president.

On the morning of the 26th, Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, and others held a press conference in front of the main gate of the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, stating, "The Constitutional Court must not betray the trust of the people," and strongly urged, "We strongly demand that the ruling date for President Yoon's impeachment trial be set within the day."

At a floor strategy meeting held the previous day at the party's tent office in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, Floor Leader Park hinted at the possibility of re-impeaching Prime Minister Han if he does not appoint nominee Ma. This is the so-called 'double impeachment' card, which involves impeaching both Deputy Prime Minister for Economy Choi Sang-mok and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on the grounds of Ma's non-appointment.

On the 24th, as the Constitutional Court's ruling on President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial approaches, barricades have been set up at the entrance of the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

No Jong-myeon, the Democratic Party floor spokesperson, posted on Facebook the previous day, claiming, "The opinions of six (constitutional) justices converge on the point that if Han Duck-soo continues to refuse to appoint the justice nominee Ma Eun-hyuk even after the unconstitutional ruling on Ma's non-appointment, it constitutes grounds for dismissal."

For the opposition to pass the impeachment motion against Deputy Prime Minister Choi, who has already had an impeachment bill filed against him, cooperation from National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik is necessary. There is only one scheduled plenary session during the March extraordinary session, on the 27th. To report and vote on the impeachment motion against Deputy Prime Minister Choi, an additional plenary session must be convened.

Accordingly, the opposition is attempting to find a breakthrough by convening the National Assembly's full committee. The full committee can be convened if at least one-quarter of the total members request it. No Jong-myeon, the Democratic Party floor spokesperson, said, "Once the schedule of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee is completed (that day), we plan to request the convening of the full committee."

The opposition is also reportedly considering revising the law to set a deadline for the appointment of National Assembly-recommended Constitutional Court justices. Under current law, there is no explicit provision specifying by when the president must appoint justices elected by the National Assembly.

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