Speaker of the National Assembly Reviews Filing a Jurisdictional Dispute Petition over the Appointment of Two Constitutional Court Justices

Mention of "Necessary Measures" on the 31st of Last Month

Prime Minister and Acting President Choi Sang-mok, who is also the Minister of Economy and Finance, has decided to appoint two candidates for Constitutional Court justices, prompting Speaker Woo Won-sik of the National Assembly to consider filing a dispute over authority.

Speaker Woo Won-shik is speaking at the National Assembly on the 31st, meeting with representatives from both ruling and opposition parties. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

According to political circles on the 1st, Speaker Woo is reviewing the possibility of filing a dispute over authority, judging that Acting President Choi's appointment of Constitutional Court justices infringed upon the National Assembly's right to elect Constitutional Court justices. The National Assembly previously held a plenary session on the 26th of last month and approved the consent for appointment of three candidates for Constitutional Court justices recommended by the National Assembly (Ma Eun-hyuk, Jung Kye-seon, and Cho Han-chang). Acting President Choi appointed two of them, candidate Jung Kye-seon (recommended by the Democratic Party) and candidate Cho Han-chang (recommended by the People Power Party), on the 31st of last month.

Kang Yoo-jung, the floor spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, also stated on CBS Radio's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show" that Acting President Choi's appointment of two Constitutional Court justices was "an unconstitutional matter that disregards legislative authority," adding, "Speaker Woo will file a dispute over authority tomorrow."

On the 31st of last month, Speaker Woo said in a statement, "The appointment of Constitutional Court justices is not a matter for compromise," and "I will take necessary measures." He emphasized that "through the Speaker's mediation, the floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties agreed to recommend one candidate from the People Power Party and two from the Democratic Party for the Constitutional Court justice seats allocated to the National Assembly," and that there was already an agreement between the parties regarding candidate Ma as well.