Han Duck-soo's Acting Role: Nomination of Constitutional Court Justices and Appointment of Ma Eun-hyeok
Acting President Han Duck-soo has nominated Lee Wan-kyu, the head of the Legislation Office, and Ham Sang-hoon, a chief judge at the Seoul High Court, as successors to Moon Hyeong-bae, the acting Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court whose term ends on the 18th, and to Justice Lee Mi-sun.
Additionally, the controversial nominee for Constitutional Court Justice, Ma Eun-hyeok, was officially appointed on the 8th.
Acting President Han explained the background for the successor nominations by stating, "Considering that the impeachment motion against the Minister of Economy could be voted on at any time in the National Assembly, and that the impeachment trial of the Commissioner of the National Police Agency is still ongoing, the situation is complex."
He added, "In such circumstances, if another vacancy occurs in the Constitutional Court and its decisions are delayed, it could severely disrupt the management of presidential elections, preparations for essential supplementary budgets, and responses to general issues."
The appointment of Ma Eun-hyeok as a Constitutional Court Justice appears to follow the Constitutional Court's earlier ruling that the refusal to appoint him by the Acting President would be unconstitutional.
Acting President Han emphasized, "I have done my best to make wise decisions solely for the country without any personal agendas," adding, "The responsibility for these decisions lies entirely with me."
Political Reactions and Presidential Election Date Confirmation
Reactions from the political arena regarding this decision have been mixed.
The Democratic Party protested that the Acting President's nomination of a Constitutional Court Justice, which is the duty of the President, is "a clear violation of the constitution."
Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, criticized, "It seems that Acting President Han is under the illusion that he is the President," and stated, "The composition of the Constitutional Court should be made up of three individuals appointed by an elected President, three by an elected National Assembly, and three by a neutral Supreme Court. Acting Prime Minister Han does not have such authority. It seems like an overreach."
The Democratic Party plans to file a constitutional dispute regarding the nomination of Lee Wan-kyu and Ham Sang-hoon as Constitutional Court Justice candidates and intends to seek a provisional injunction to suspend their effectiveness.
On the other hand, while the People Power Party expressed that the appointment of Ma Eun-hyeok was inappropriate, it praised the nomination of successors to fill the vacancies.
The Constitutional Court is composed of nine justices, of which three are nominated by the President, three are elected by the National Assembly, and the remaining three are appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The term for Constitutional Court Justices is six years, with the possibility of reappointment.
Meanwhile, Acting President Han has also appointed Ma Yong-joo, the candidate for Supreme Court Justice, who has completed the recommendation and consent process with the National Assembly.
During the Cabinet meeting held that day, the date for the presidential election following the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol was confirmed to be June 3, and this day was designated as a temporary holiday.
Image sources: Acting President Han Duck-soo, Prime Minister / News1 (provided by the Prime Minister's Office), Ma Eun-hyeok, Constitutional Court Justice nominee / News1, News1.
