Constitutional Court expands to eight members

[Anchor]

The Constitutional Court has moved beyond the 'six-member system' after two and a half months.

With the number of justices now increasing to eight, it is expected that the hearings for the impeachment case of President Yoon Suk Yeol will proceed more quickly.

Reporter Kim Beom-joo has the story.

[Report]

With this appointment, the Constitutional Court has moved beyond the 'six-member system' after 75 days.

The eight-member Constitutional Court justices include Moon Hyung-bae and Lee Mi-son, who were appointed by former President Moon Jae-in, former Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su, and Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's appointees Kim Hyung-du, Jung Jung-mi, and Kim Bok-hyeong, as well as Cheong Hyung-sik, appointed by President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Jeong Gye-seon and Cho Han-chang, who were appointed through recommendations from both the ruling and opposition parties.

During the 'six-member system,' hearings were possible, but there were controversies regarding the rulings.

According to the Constitutional Court Act, impeachment can be upheld with the consent of 'six or more' justices, but if a significant matter like 'presidential removal' is decided without meeting the required quorum, questions about its legitimacy may arise.

The Constitutional Court has been contemplating this issue, and with the appointment of two new justices, concerns about the legitimacy of the court's decisions are expected to be somewhat alleviated.

Although there is currently one vacancy out of the nine-member quota, it is worth noting that during the impeachment case of former President Park Geun-hye, rulings were also made by eight justices.

Currently, there are a total of ten impeachment cases pending in the Constitutional Court, including the case against President Yoon and the case involving Acting President Han Duck-soo, which has placed a heavy workload on the justices, each of whom must lead up to four impeachment cases.

Therefore, with the appointment of these justices, the burden on the justices is expected to decrease compared to before.

In particular, since the side of President Yoon has raised questions about the legitimacy of the 'six-member system,' the formation of the 'eight-member system' is likely to provide more momentum for the hearings related to President Yoon's case.

However, it is anticipated that the remaining time for the Constitutional Court regarding the case related to President Yoon will be a maximum of four months, as the retirement of justices Moon Hyung-bae and Lee Mi-son, who were nominated by the president, is scheduled for Apr. 18, 2025.

This is KBS News, Kim Beom-joo.