Ruling and opposition parties, 'confrontation of constitutional judges'..."Forced to appoint", "Out of authority".

2024.12.18. PM 2:20
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Special Committee on the Recognition of Constitutional Judges, held exclusively by the opposition...Chairman of the Committee Park Ji-won
Opposition parties have adopted a plan to carry out confirmation hearings from the 23rd to the 24th
Minjoo "Vote on the Appointment Agreement of the plenary session on the 27th...Enforce the appointment"
[Anchor]
The confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties over the appointment of three vacant constitutional judges in the National Assembly is intensifying.

The opposition party has decided on the schedule of the National Assembly's confirmation hearing to force the appointment, and the ruling party opposes the appointment of acting Han Deok-soo as a judge until the president's impeachment is cited.

I'm connecting with the National Assembly reporter, reporter Son Hyo-jung!

[Reporter]
Yes, it's the National Assembly.

[Anchor]
The ruling and opposition parties are in sharp conflict over the appointment of constitutional judges, so please tell us more about the resolution of the special committee on personnel hearings today.

[Reporter]
Yes, a meeting of the special committee on personnel hearings to appoint three candidates for the Constitutional Court recommended by the National Assembly was held this morning with only opposition members present.

Initially, a member of the special committee was appointed as the chairman of the People's Power Party, but when the ruling party declared its absence, the Democratic Party of Korea decided to appoint a new member, Park Ji-won, as the chairman.

It also handled the personnel hearing plan alone, and the hearing for Ma Eun-hyuk and Chung Gye-seon, recommended by the Democratic Party, will be held on the 23rd, and the hearing for Cho Han-chang, recommended by the People's Power, will be held on the 24th.

The Democratic Party of Korea says it will push ahead with the process of appointing a constitutional judge after a plenary session vote on the 27th, even if the people's power does not enter the confirmation hearing.

The Constitutional Court should fill the vacancy as soon as possible to hear the impeachment of President Yoon with a complete "nine-person system."

Analysts say that it is also based on the calculation that Lee Jae-myung will hold an "early presidential election" before his second trial is sentenced or his sentence is confirmed by speeding up the impeachment trial, and it is now up to the acting president to decide whether to make the final appointment or not.

However, the ruling party refutes that there is a legal problem for acting president Han Deok-soo to appoint a constitutional judge on behalf of the suspended president.

Earlier, the opposition party also took issue with recommending two candidates and one candidate by the ruling party.

A party official told YTN that the existing constitutional judges in the National Assembly are to be recommended by the ruling and opposition parties and one by the agreement of the ruling and opposition parties.

In the meantime, Joo Jin-woo, chairman of the party's legal advisory committee, argued that the six-member constitutional court system will inevitably cause controversy over due process, and that the hearing should take place after the remaining appointments of judges are completed.

In the end, the confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties over the appointment of constitutional judges is expected to intensify amid criticism that it is intended to delay the impeachment trial itself.

[Anchor]
Today, the ruling party continues to discuss who will head the vacant party due to the resignation of former leader Han Dong-hoon, right?

[Reporter]
Yes, at 3 p.m. today, the ruling party will hold an emergency meeting at the National Assembly to discuss the appointment of the emergency committee chairman.

Prior to this, senior members of the party with more than four terms will gather and put their heads together.

There was a consensus that the party's senior members, who are well aware of the party's situation, were suitable as the emergency committee chairman, but they could not deduce specific candidates.

The next chairman of the emergency committee will be in charge of resolving the party's internal feud, from the passing of President Yoon's impeachment to the resignation of former leader Han Dong-hoon.

First of all, the most prominent figures are Kwon Young-se, Na Kyung-won, and Kim Ki-hyun, five-term lawmakers who have led the party's public opinion in the face of martial law.

With overwhelming support from lawmakers, acting party leader Kwon Sung-dong, who was elected as floor leader, is also coming up with a plan to concurrently serve as chairman of the emergency committee.

A floor official told YTN that it is true that the public opinion that acting Kwon should even be the chairman of the emergency committee is more prevalent.

However, there were criticisms to the effect that the burden on acting president Kwon was increased during the previous general meeting, and there are many opinions that a two-top system of emergency committee chairman and floor leader is better to respond to the opposition offensive and impeachment.

However, since all the candidates who are coming out are considered close to President Yoon, some say that it is inappropriate to lead the party's reform.Rep. Kim Sang-wook, who voted in favor of the impeachment motion of President

Yoon, criticized on YTN radio that anyone who shared his tendency with the president or was responsible for the emergency decree should never be a leader.

So far, I'm Son Hyo-jung of YTN in the National Assembly.


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