The Constitutional Court has postponed its ruling on the constitutionality of the dispute regarding the appointment of candidate Ma Eun-hyuk. The ruling party, People Power Party, urged that this is an acknowledgment of "procedural flaws" and should be resolved with a dismissal decision.
Shin Dong-wook, spokesperson for the People Power Party, pointed out in a commentary released in the afternoon that "the sudden 'postponement of the ruling' by the Constitutional Court today is practically an acknowledgment by the court itself of 'procedural flaws.'"
The spokesperson added, "Initially, the Constitutional Court tried to conclude the authority dispute ruling in a mere single session lasting about 1 hour and 30 minutes. When criticisms of 'hasty procedures and insufficient processes' intensified, the court unexpectedly requested written materials from acting Choi Sang-mok about three days before the ruling date."
He emphasized, "Now the court must thoroughly return to basics and principles," and urged that the authority dispute ruling regarding 'non-appointment of Ma Eun-hyuk' should be dismissed as a "serious procedural violation."
The spokesperson also stressed that a motion for the impeachment of high-ranking officials, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Secretary General Choi Jae-hae, which passed under the leadership of the opposition party, should be hastily reviewed and dismissed.
He continued, "Some constitutional judges regarding the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol have raised fundamental issues of bias and unfairness, as well as various inappropriate controversies, and should voluntarily recuse themselves," adding, "For the public to fully accept all rulings and actions of the Constitutional Court without any objection, the court must make a 'resolution and decision' on its own."
Previously, the Constitutional Court announced that it would postpone its ruling on whether it was unconstitutional for Acting Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok and Minister of Strategy and Finance to suspend the appointment of candidate Ma. This follows the acceptance of a request for resuming discussions, which the acting prime minister's side made on the 31st of last month, citing the need for additional hearings related to the authority dispute.
The National Assembly passed the appointment consent motion for candidates Cho Han-chang, Jeong Gye-seon, and Ma Eun-hyuk in the plenary session in December of last year. Among these, Acting Prime Minister Choi appointed only the candidates Cho Han-chang and Jeong Gye-seon, recommended by the People Power Party and the Democratic Party, respectively, and suspended the appointment of candidate Ma, stating that "agreement between the ruling and opposition parties is necessary." In response, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik filed a request for authority dispute ruling against Acting Prime Minister Choi.