Kwon Seong-dong Criticizes Appointment of Ma Eun-hyeok as Constitutional Court Justice Nominee
but Praises President's Quota Nominees
Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized Prime Minister Han Deok-su, acting president, on the 8th for appointing Ma Eun-hyeok as a nominee for the Constitutional Court Justice, calling it a "wrong decision." However, he highly praised the nomination of the president's quota Constitutional Court Justice candidates.
On the same day, Kwon met with reporters at the National Assembly and said, "Candidate Ma is a person who has no will to protect the liberal democratic system," adding, "No matter how much I think about the decision to appoint him as a Constitutional Court Justice, it is wrong."
Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on April 8, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyun-min
On the other hand, he gave a positive evaluation regarding the nomination of two vacant Constitutional Court Justices. Acting President Han nominated Lee Wan-gyu, head of the Legislative Office, and Ham Sang-hoon, chief judge of the Seoul High Court, as the president's quota Constitutional Court Justice candidates. Candidate Lee is considered a close aide of former President Yoon Seok-yeol, having served as his lawyer when Yoon was Prosecutor General.
Regarding this, Kwon said, "It was a bold decision," and added, "There is controversy over whether the acting president can appoint the president's quota Constitutional Court Justices, but since the previous acting president Choi Sang-mok already appointed two controversial National Assembly quota Constitutional Court Justices, the controversy seems to have been settled for now."
Regarding criticism from the Democratic Party of Korea, he dismissed it as "party interests aiming to compose and control all constitutional institutions according to the Democratic Party's wishes." Although the Democratic Party questioned candidate Lee's suitability, Kwon defended him as 'Mr. Clean' and 'Mr. Rule of Law.'
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