Kim Sang-wook: "Han Deok-su, the Worst Acting Prime Minister... Delaying to Reduce the Risk of Being an Accomplice in Treason"

"Appointment of Constitutional Court Justice on Hold, Unreasonable"

Prime Minister and Acting President Han Duck-soo's decision to withhold the appointment of a Constitutional Court justice was criticized as "unreasonable" by Kim Sang-wook, a member of the People Power Party.

On the 27th, Kim appeared on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' and said, "Acting President Han exercised his veto power (a presidential authority), but the appointment of a Constitutional Court justice is simply a formal procedure for the National Assembly's approval, so not doing it is wrong."

Kim Sang-wook, a member of the People Power Party, is holding a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall on the 10th, urging the president to apologize and resign immediately. Photo by Yonhap News

Kim emphasized, "It is extremely important for the nation to properly form the Constitutional Court with nine justices, and as an acting president, this should be the top priority for the most critical part of the country." He added, "Also, smoothly concluding the impeachment process is the greatest policy for the people's livelihood and a solution for the public."

When asked by the host, "What do you think is the real reason Acting President Han is withholding the appointment of the Constitutional Court justice?" Kim replied, "I cannot know his true intentions, but it can only be interpreted as 'he does not want to appoint'."

He pointed out, "Yesterday, the lawyers of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun held a press conference suggesting that they had reported to the Prime Minister in advance. Although Acting President Han's side denied this, if that statement is true, the risk of being interpreted as an accomplice to rebellion significantly increases."

Kim raised his voice, saying, "I think Acting President Han is stalling not to reduce his own risk of being an accomplice to rebellion. Even if the national economy suffers, I suspect this is for his own self-preservation."

Regarding the opposition party's move to impeach Acting President Han, he said, "It is a really difficult debate," and explained, "When impeaching Acting President Han, we need to distinguish whether there are grounds for impeachment as Prime Minister or as Acting President. Because of this, there is a debate over whether the required quorum is 151 members (for passing a Prime Minister impeachment motion) or 200 members (for passing a presidential impeachment motion)."

Kim stated, "In fact, Acting President Han has put the country into a very unstable state. If impeachments continue to accumulate, it could lead to an anarchy situation. Withholding the appointment of a Constitutional Court justice is something an acting president should never do. As Acting President, he has the duty to manage the country to prevent it from falling into anarchy, but I think he is the worst acting president."