[News Today] Han's justice nominations disputed

[LEAD]
Controversy is continuing over Acting President Han Duck-soo's nomination of two justices to the Constitutional Court. One of the nominees is Lee Wan-kyu, a figure known to have attended a meeting at a presidential safe house a day after emergency martial law.

[REPORT]
Last December, Acting President Han Duck-soo refused to appoint three Constitutional Court justice nominees recommended by the National Assembly, citing the spirit of the Constitution.

Han Duck-soo/ Acting President (Dec. 26, 2024)
The spirit in Constitution is that an acting president refrain from exercising key pres. authorities, including appointment of constitutional institution's members.

But following the dismissal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, Han unexpectedly nominated two justices that are reserved as the president's share.

Under the Constitution, the president has the authority to directly nominate and appoint three of the nine-member bench.

But there are no stipulations about whether or not an acting president can exercise the authority in place of the president.

The Korean Law Professors Association, which has some 1,600 members, denounced Han's appointment as a grave violation of the Constitution that preemptively undermines the authority of the president to be elected in the future.

More than 100 scholars of constitutional law said that it is an impeachable act.

A constitutional appeal to find Han's nominations unconstitutional and a provisional injuction against them have already been filed.

Another source of controversy is credentials of a candidate named by the acting president.

Lee Wan-kyu, incumbent minister of government legislation, is known to have attended a meeting at a presidential safe house a day after emergency martial law was declared on December 3.

Critics are voicing the objection, saying that Lee is unfit for the job of guarding the Constitution, as he is now a suspect under investigation by police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials for his alleged role in a plot to destroy evidence.