Parties divided over impeachment

[Anchor]

In response to the Constitutional Court's stance that the prosecution's suspect interrogation records can be used as evidence in impeachment trials, the People Power Party criticized the court for ignoring the fundamental principles of criminal proceedings.

The opposition party defended the Constitutional Court, stating that impeachment trials and criminal trials are fundamentally different.

Reporter Kim Yu-dae has the details.

[Report]

The People Power Party criticized the Constitutional Court for bringing distrust upon itself.

They argued that court testimonies should take precedence over statements made during prosecution investigations, claiming that the Constitutional Court has disregarded the fundamental principles of the Constitutional Court Act and criminal proceedings.

[Seo Ji-young/People Power Party Spokesperson: "If the proceedings are conducted in a biased manner according to the political inclinations of the Constitutional Court justices, procedural fairness will inevitably be questioned."]

They also raised concerns about the fact that the criminal procedure law applicable in impeachment trials was revised in 2020.

They questioned why the revised criminal procedure law is not being applied.

[Kwon Young-se/People Power Party Emergency Response Committee Chair: "The issues in the process and procedures are precisely what lead to the perception that the Constitutional Court is biased..."]

Floor leader Kwon Seong-dong plans to visit the Constitutional Court tomorrow (2.12) to directly demand fair proceedings and careful decisions.

The opposition party supported the Constitutional Court's position, stating that impeachment trials and criminal trials are distinctly different.

They reiterated the need for a swift decision to resolve political uncertainties.

[Jung Sung-ho/Democratic Party Member/KBS1 Radio Current Affairs: "Considering the seriousness of the matter and the damage to the state, as well as the public, it is necessary to conclude the proceedings swiftly this time..."]

The debate over the nomination of Ma Eun-hyuk as a Constitutional Court justice also continued.

The People Power Party argued that nominee Ma is not a bipartisan candidate, pointing out that only the Democratic Party is listed as the recommending negotiation group.

The Democratic Party urged the Constitutional Court to make a swift decision regarding the authority dispute over nominee Ma, pressuring that if an unconstitutional ruling is made, Acting President Choi Sang-mok should make the appointment immediately.

KBS News, Kim Yu-dae.