The Democratic Party introduced a bill to automatically extend the term of constitutional judges by up to six months if a successor is not appointed by the time their term expires.
According to the National Assembly's legislative information system on the 19th, Democratic Party lawmaker Bok Ki-wang presented a bill to amend the Constitutional Court Act that includes this content on the 14th. The term for constitutional judges is six years, but if a successor is not appointed, they can continue to perform their duties for up to six months from the end of their term.
If this law passes before April 18, the acting President Moon and this judge will automatically have their terms extended until October if no successor is determined. However, since the Constitution states that the term of a constitutional judge is six years, there are criticisms that extending the term through legislation may be unconstitutional.
Shin Dong-wook, the spokesperson for the People Power Party, criticized, "It's no different from declaring that they will turn the Constitutional Court into a 'progressive legal office,'" and added, "They are ridiculing the rule of law by changing the law just to extend the terms of judges that suit their tastes."
The Democratic Party rebutted, stating that the bill was not submitted with a specific constitutional judge in mind. Lawmaker Bok noted, "Seeing that the Constitutional Court could not exercise its powers while operating with a 'six-member system' last year, I thought legislative supplementation was necessary," adding, "There is no need to create unnecessary controversy, so this law will not pass before the retirements of acting President Moon and this judge."