Democratic Party Must Return to State Affairs Consultative Body... Remember Responsibility as the Largest Party

Controversy Over Political Bias of Constitutional Court Justice Intensifies

Park Soo-min, the floor spokesperson for the People Power Party, stated on the 3rd, "The Democratic Party of Korea should not only pressure the appointment of Ma Eun-hyuk as a Constitutional Court justice candidate but also return to the state affairs consultative body and take responsibility for national stability and the stability of people’s livelihoods."

Park made this remark during a briefing at the National Assembly, saying, "Last Friday, the Democratic Party unilaterally suspended the state affairs consultative body meeting just 10 minutes before it was to be held."

He said, "The reason was that they found it difficult to recognize Acting President Choi Sang-mok as a dialogue partner because he did not appoint candidate Ma," and added, "While the appointment of a Constitutional Court justice is indeed an important matter, we question whether it is an issue serious enough to walk away from the state affairs consultative body, and whether the current situation justifies such a stance."

He continued, "It is necessary to determine whether the appointment of a Constitutional Court justice is more important or the state affairs consultative body is more important."

Park, the floor leader, explained, "There has been considerable public concern recently regarding the Constitutional Court. That concern is not about the eight-member structure but about procedural bias and political bias. The Constitutional Court itself has disregarded and treated the Constitutional Court Act lightly, requested investigation records from the prosecution, did not adopt the trial-centered principle endorsed by the Supreme Court citing the nature of constitutional adjudication, and controversies over the justices’ political bias have greatly intensified."

Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, is performing the national ceremony at the party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 27th. 2025.2.27 Photo by Kim Hyun-min

He also said, "Candidate Ma, who is being strongly pressured by the Democratic Party, is the most representative candidate in terms of procedural concerns and political bias," adding, "The Constitutional Court sparked major controversy by prioritizing the adjudication of the National Assembly’s authority dispute over candidate Ma’s appointment rather than the impeachment trial of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who can stabilize the government."

He emphasized, "The state affairs consultative body, which the Democratic Party suspended, is a consultative body where decision-makers capable of making important national decisions gather while the president is suspended from duty," and "The Democratic Party is pressing for the supplementary budget and the national pension reform plan. We need to discuss the Semiconductor Special Act and whether to exempt the application of the 52-hour workweek."

He said, "Inheritance tax reform is also a current issue, and the amendment of the Commercial Act is important. There are also several issues raised due to safety concerns," and "The state affairs consultative body is the place to address all these livelihood issues, so the People Power Party has sincerely participated in it without any ulterior motives. We cannot help but be shocked by the Democratic Party’s reaction to walk away from this consultative body just 10 minutes before the meeting."

Finally, he asserted, "In a situation where public concern over the Constitutional Court’s decisions is intensifying, decisions that could exacerbate controversies and cause side effects should be made cautiously," and "The most important thing is national unity, constitutional development, and recovery."