"The Appointment of Constitutional Court Justices Can Only Be Made by the President"
"Acting on Behalf of the Acting Authority Exercising Appointment Rights? Comedy"
Hong Jun-pyo, Mayor of Daegu, criticized Choi Sang-mok, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, for appointing constitutional court justices, stating that "only the president, the head of state according to the constitution, can appoint constitutional court justices."
On the 2nd, Mayor Hong said on his Facebook, "It is a ridiculous comedy that the Minister of Economy and Finance, acting as the acting president, exercises the appointment authority even though there is still a president."
Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo is answering questions at the year-end press conference held at the Sangyeok Office of Daegu City Hall in Buk-gu, Daegu, on the afternoon of the 26th of last month. Photo by Yonhap News
He said, "During Park Geun-hye's impeachment, after the Constitutional Court's dismissal decision, Hwang Kyo-ahn, the acting president, appointed constitutional court justices, and after Han Duck-soo's acting presidency, the appointment of constitutional court justices was considered constitutionally impossible," criticizing, "The Minister of Economy and Finance's presidential play has gone too far." He added, "How embarrassing must it be for a constitutional court justice to receive an appointment letter from a mere minister," and said, "The Minister of Economy and Finance's presidential play is truly outrageous."
Mayor Hong also said, "Both Representative Lee Jae-myung, who is driving the country into an anarchy state, and the Minister of Economy and Finance, who is playing president in the meantime, are equally bad," adding, "It is minbulryosaeng (民不聊生)." 'Minbulryosaeng' means that the people cannot live in peace, indicating a situation of turmoil.
Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, who is also the Minister of Economy and Finance, is speaking at the Economic Ministers' Meeting held at the Government Seoul Office on the 2nd. Photo by Yonhap News
Earlier, Acting Prime Minister Choi appointed two of the three constitutional court justice candidates elected by the National Assembly on the 31st of last month: candidates Jeong Gye-seon and Jo Han-chang. However, the appointment of candidate Ma Eun-hyuk, recommended by the Democratic Party of Korea, was postponed. Acting Prime Minister Choi stated that he would appoint candidate Ma later upon agreement between the ruling and opposition parties.
He said, "As the acting president who succeeded the presidential authority, I decided to appoint constitutional court justices out of an urgent need to end political uncertainty and social conflicts as soon as possible to prevent potential economic and livelihood crises." He continued, "However, respecting the principle of the previous acting president who emphasized the tradition of appointing constitutional court justices through bipartisan agreement, and considering the ongoing discussions between the ruling and opposition parties, I have decided to immediately appoint candidates Jeong Gye-seon and Jo Han-chang, who have been confirmed to approach bipartisan agreement, and to appoint the remaining candidate once bipartisan agreement is confirmed."
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