Han Duck-soo Should Swiftly Appoint Ma Eun-hyuk as Constitutional Court Justice
"The Government Must Do Its Best to Prevent Further Wildfire Damage"
Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-sik on the 27th urged the Constitutional Court to swiftly deliver the impeachment ruling against President Yoon Seok-yeol. He also reiterated his call for Prime Minister and Acting President Han Duck-soo to proceed with the appointment of Constitutional Court Justice Ma Eun-hyuk.
At an emergency press conference held at the National Assembly that day, Speaker Woo stated, "In addition to concerns over the spread of wildfires, public anxiety is growing over the delay in the Constitutional Court's ruling on the presidential impeachment trial." He explained, "I have refrained from making direct statements so far because I believe the independence and credibility of the Constitutional Court are paramount in protecting the constitutional order of the Republic of Korea," adding, "The prolonged uncertainty over the ruling date is deepening social confusion and depleting national capacity."
Speaker Woo said, "As the Speaker of the National Assembly, I cannot and should not know the deliberation and decision-making process of the Constitutional Court justices. It is difficult to even imagine how complex and challenging that process is, and how heavy the responsibility is." However, he noted, "With the retirement of two Constitutional Court justices about three weeks away, and despite an unconstitutional ruling, the National Assembly has yet to appoint candidates for the court, leading to new speculation about the court's ruling and increasing conflicts and confrontations surrounding it."
Urging the Constitutional Court to deliver a prompt ruling, Speaker Woo added, "The longer the ruling is delayed, the greater the chaos our society must endure," and "The cost will ultimately be borne by the people."
Regarding the wildfires that are rapidly spreading, he said, "I earnestly pray that no more casualties occur, and I urge the government to mobilize all available resources to quickly extinguish the wildfires and do its utmost to prevent further damage," adding, "I hope special efforts will be made to support the affected residents and ensure the safety of everyone involved in firefighting."
Meanwhile, although the ruling and opposition parties had planned to hold a plenary session that day, they decided to postpone it to focus on responding to the national crisis caused by the wildfires. Accordingly, the impeachment motion against Choi Sang-mok, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, which was scheduled to be reported that day, was not presented.
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