Hearing on legislation office head

[Anchor]

The Democratic Party has urged the candidate Lee Wan-kyu, who appeared before the National Assembly's Legislative and Judiciary Committee, to resign, calling him a suspect in an insurrection.

The candidate refused to resign.

The People Power Party also supported this, stating that the nomination was legitimate under the Constitution.

This is a report by reporter Lee Ye-jin.

[Report]

The Democratic Party launched sharp criticisms against Lee Wan-kyu, the head of the Legislation Office.

[Kim Yong-min/National Assembly's Legislative and Judiciary Committee/Democratic Party: "Aren't you going to arrest Lee Wan-kyu, who is one of the key suspects in the insurrection?"]

[Park Eun-jung/National Assembly's Legislative and Judiciary Committee/Rebuilding Korea Party: "You should have properly assisted; how can you think of becoming a constitutional judge after causing an insurrection under Yoon Suk Yeol?"]

They also demanded his voluntary resignation.

[Park Ji-won/National Assembly's Legislative and Judiciary Committee/Democratic Party: "Are you willing to say that you will resign?"]

However, the head of the office drew a line.

[Lee Wan-kyu/Head of the Legislation Office: "I feel a heavy sense of responsibility for being nominated as a candidate. I will prepare well."]

The People Power Party countered that the nomination of the judge is a legitimate exercise of authority by the acting president.

[Joo Jin-woo/National Assembly's Legislative and Judiciary Committee/People Power Party: "Is there a provision in the Constitution that specifies the authority of the acting president?"]

[Cho Bae-sook/National Assembly's Legislative and Judiciary Committee/People Power Party: "If a war broke out, would the acting president only do something temporary?"]

They also pointed out that the appointment of Ma Eun-hyuk as a judge is more problematic.

[Song Seok-jun/National Assembly's Legislative and Judiciary Committee/People Power Party: "While being active in an anti-constitutional, anti-system organization..."]

The head of the office strongly denied the various allegations from the Democratic Party.

[Lee Wan-kyu/Head of the Legislation Office: "I believe that I will not be prosecuted (for insurrection) because it is not a matter to be prosecuted."]

[Jung Chung-rae/Chairman of the National Assembly's Legislative and Judiciary Committee: "There was some controversy regarding the membership in the People Power Party..."]

[Lee Wan-kyu/Head of the Legislation Office: "I have never joined any political party or engaged in political activities."]

The People Power Party urged that an official hearing process should be conducted.

[Park Jun-tae/National Assembly's Legislative and Judiciary Committee/People Power Party: "What is the problem? What the Democratic Party should do now is to conduct a personnel hearing."]

The Legislative and Judiciary Committee, led by the Democratic Party, passed a revision of the Constitutional Court Act that prevents the acting president from nominating the constitutional judges, a power normally reserved for the president, and the People Power Party opposed it, claiming it violates constitutional provisions.

On April 16, the agenda for the hearing on the impeachment of Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok was also decided by the Democratic Party.

This is KBS News, Lee Ye-jin.