Parties divided on judge appointment

[Anchor]

As the decision approaches, the voices of both the ruling and opposition parties have grown louder.

The People Power Party stated that regardless of the Constitutional Court's decision, the appointment of candidate Ma Eun-hyeok should not take place.

The Democratic Party pressured for an immediate appointment, arguing that if an unconstitutional decision is made, there would be no justification for refusing the appointment.

Kim Cheong-yun reports.

[Report]

The People Power Party repeatedly urged the dismissal of the jurisdiction dispute ruling.

They pointed out that there is already a precedent where the Constitutional Court dismissed an individual member's jurisdiction dispute claim, and that the ruling raised unilaterally by Chairman Woo Won-sik without a National Assembly decision should also be dismissed.

[Kwon Seong-dong/People Power Party Floor Leader: "If the Constitutional Court accepts this case, which has many procedural flaws, it will be recorded as a dark history that denies the fairness of the Constitutional Court itself."]

They also stated that even if an unconstitutional decision is made, Acting Prime Minister Choi should refuse the appointment.

Since the core reason for the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was with issues in appointing a Constitutional Court judge, they urged for a quick conclusion on the impeachment trial of Prime Minister Han.

Additionally, they raised concerns about bias, citing candidate Ma's background with the People's Solidarity and the dismissal of charges against the National Assembly's occupied Minju Party aides, claiming that his leftist political ideology influenced the ruling.

The Democratic Party criticized the suspension of candidate Ma's appointment by Acting Prime Minister Choi as a destruction of constitutional order.

They effectively pressured for acceptance, stating that the Constitutional Court should put a stop to such behavior with its jurisdiction dispute ruling tomorrow (Feb. 3).

[Kim Yoon-deok/Democratic Party Secretary General: "There must be a firm ruling against selective appointments of Constitutional Court judges to ensure that the procedures specified in the Constitution and laws are upheld."]

They urged for the immediate appointment of candidate Ma, arguing that if the Constitutional Court makes an unconstitutional decision, Acting Prime Minister Choi would lose justification.

They harshly criticized the People Power Party for crossing the line with extreme right-wing incitement behaviors such as judicial conspiracy and impeachment defiance movements.

The representative of Chairman Woo Won-sik, who filed the jurisdiction dispute, rebutted that there is no regulation stating that the jurisdiction dispute claim must go through a National Assembly decision.

KBS News, Kim Cheong-yun.