First Day at Work 104 Days After Election by the National Assembly
Ma Eun-hyuk Refrains from Commenting on Acting President Han Duck-soo's Nomination of Presidential Candidates
Constitutional Court Justice Ma Eun-hyuk stated, "I will do my best to fulfill my duties as a Constitutional Court Justice." It is his first day at work, 104 days after being elected by the National Assembly.
On the morning of the 9th, Justice Ma met with reporters on his way to work and made this statement. Regarding Prime Minister and Acting President Han Duck-soo's nomination of two presidential candidates the previous day, he said, "Since it is the first day, it is a bit inappropriate to comment extensively." The Constitutional Court plans to hold Justice Ma's inauguration ceremony at 10 a.m. that day.
When asked whether the nine-member system should be completed by the next president, he replied, "I understand there are various opinions, and I will consider it carefully." Regarding concerns about bias raised by the ruling party, he refrained from elaborating, saying, "I plan to address that issue in my inaugural speech..."
The previous day, Acting President Han Duck-soo appointed Justice Ma 40 days after the Constitutional Court's decision related to 'Ma Eun-hyuk's non-appointment.' Earlier, on February 27, the Constitutional Court clearly stated that the acting president's refusal to appoint Justice Ma was an "infringement on the National Assembly's election rights," but the appointment was delayed for more than three months.
Meanwhile, Acting President Han announced Justice Ma's appointment and nominated Lee Wan-gyu, Director of the Legislation Bureau, and Ham Sang-hoon, Chief Judge of the Seoul High Court, as successors to Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae, who will retire on the 18th, and Justice Lee Mi-sun, respectively.
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