[News Today] CONSTITUTIONAL COURT VACUUM LOOMS

[LEAD]
In just three days, Constitutional Court Chief Lee Jong-seok along with two other justices are scheduled to retire. With the National Assembly stalled on selecting their successors, if only six justices are left, the court will be paralyzed. Amid this deadlock, Lee Jin-sook, the suspended chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, has filed a constitutional appeal. She argues that pausing her impeachment trial due to an insufficient number of justices is unjust.

[REPORT]
Constitutional Court chief Lee Jong-seok and justices Lee Young-jin and Kim Ki-young will retire on Thursday.

The National Assembly is responsible for choosing their replacements, but their successors have not been named.

The People Power Party insists that it is customary for the ruling and opposition parties to each nominate one candidates and pick the other through consensus.

But the Democratic Party is rejecting the proposal, saying that it should recommend two justices in proportion to the number of its parliamentary seats.

The Constitutional Court can only review cases only when more than seven of its justices are in attendance.
If only six justices are left, the court will be paralyzed.

Even if rival parties agree now, the paralysis could last more than a month, given the time needed for the nomination process, including confirmation hearings.

Song Seog-jun/ Legislation and Judiciary Committee (PPP)
The vacuum will cause unimaginable damage on the public.

Kim Jeong-won/ Constitutional Court (Oct.11)
Yes, it is best to fill the vacancies.

On the 18th, the day after her resignation, the impeachment trial of the chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, Lee Jin-sook, will also stop, thus extending her suspension from office.

Lee filed a constitutional appeal against Section 1 of Article 23 of the Constitutional Court Act, which regulates the quorum of judges, claiming that the current situation is unfair.

If the Constitutional Court accepts Lee's injunction request, the quorum rule will be suspended temporarily until a decision on Lee's case comes out. This will allow the remaining justices to handle her case.

However, a decision must be made before Thursday, when the three justices are set to retire.

The court says it is quickly reviewing the case given its urgency.