Democrats Form 'Gye-eom Situation Room'... Situation Room Chief Assemblyman An Gyu-baek

Recommendation of Ma Eun-hyeok and Jeong Gye-seon as Constitutional Court Justice Candidates
Current Six-Member System Aims to Resolve Controversies in Case of Presidential Impeachment

The Democratic Party of Korea announced on the 4th that it will establish a 'Martial Law Situation Room' to understand the emergency martial law situation declared by President Yoon Seok-yeol and to prevent any additional martial law situations.

Han Min-su, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said to reporters after a closed-door Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly in the afternoon, "The party has decided to operate a Martial Law Situation Room."

The head of the Martial Law Situation Room will be Assemblyman Ahn Kyu-baek, a member of the National Defense Committee, and the secretary will be Assemblyman Park Seon-won, a former deputy director of the National Intelligence Service. Assemblymen Kim Byung-joo, Boo Seung-chan, Lee Sang-sik, and Han Min-su will also participate.

Spokesperson Han explained, "There are various speculations, but unconstitutional and illegal emergency martial law could be imposed again. We decided to create the situation room to understand how the emergency martial law declared yesterday violated the constitution and was carried out illegally, and to track and manage the situation."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the "Emergency National Rally to Urge President Yoon Seok-yeol's Resignation and Impeachment" held on the steps in front of the National Assembly main building on the 4th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has appointed Jeong Gye-seon, Chief Judge of the Seoul Western District Court, and Ma Eun-hyeok, Chief Judge of the Seoul Western District Court, as candidates for constitutional court justices representing the opposition party.

Previously, after former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Lee Jong-seok and former Justices Lee Young-jin and Kim Ki-young retired on October 17, the National Assembly has delayed selecting successors, maintaining a six-member panel. It is known that the People Power Party and the Democratic Party have agreed to recommend constitutional court justice candidates as 'one from the ruling party and two from the opposition party' respectively.

Spokesperson Han said, "There was an internal report that both candidates are suitable as constitutional court justice candidates, and all Supreme Council members who participated agreed. Since the decision was made at today's Supreme Council meeting, the party will proceed with recommending the candidates to the Speaker of the National Assembly through the floor leader."

This decision by the Democratic Party aims to resolve potential controversies during the presidential impeachment process. According to Article 23, Paragraph 1 of the Constitutional Court Act, cases must be heard with the attendance of at least seven justices. Even if the impeachment bill passes the National Assembly, the current six-member panel could lead to increased controversy.