Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, said on the 30th to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is acting with presidential authority, “Stop the Yoon Suk-yeol return project and appoint Constitutional Court Justice candidate Ma Eun-hyuk by April 1.” He also noted that he would make a 'major decision' if the Prime Minister refused to make the appointment by that date. Although he did not specify, it is believed to imply pursuing a series of impeachments against other cabinet members following the acting Prime Minister and Choi Sang-mok, the Minister of Economy and Finance.
During a press briefing at the National Assembly, the floor leader said, “The National Assembly, as a constitutional institution, has a duty to uphold constitutional order, and the Democratic Party will exercise all given authority.” He added, “If the Prime Minister had appointed the three constitutional justices recommended by the National Assembly immediately according to the Constitution, the instigator of insurrection would have been dismissed long ago, and the constitutional order would have been restored,” and stated, “He has blatantly refused this, and he is still deliberately not implementing the Constitutional Court’s decision.”
Regarding the fact that Choi, the Deputy Prime Minister, appointed only 2 out of the 3 constitutional justices nominated by the National Assembly in his role as acting president, he said, “By delaying appointments despite the Constitutional Court’s unanimous unconstitutional ruling, he continued insurrection,” adding, “The crime of obstructing the normalization of the Constitutional Court, hindering the punishment of the instigator of insurrection, and continuing the insurrection, thereby pushing the nation into crisis, is very grave and serious.”
The Democratic Party views the acting Prime Minister’s refusal to appoint candidate Ma as part of a ‘presidential return’ or ‘second martial law plot.’ With the impending expirations of Justices Moon Hyung-bae and Lee Mi-seon on the 18th of next month, they argue that the government is intentionally delaying the appointment of candidate Ma to undermine the Constitutional Court. If the two justices retire, the court will be left with a 'six-member system,' which raises concerns about the quorum for hearings and resolutions.
The floor leader stated, “The intention is to intentionally delay the appointment of candidate Ma until the expiration of the two justices’ terms, thus undermining the Constitutional Court,” adding, “At the center of the insurrection plot and the confusion in state affairs is the acting Prime Minister Han. He is following the path of Choi Kyu-ha, who helped Chun Doo-hwan seize power following the coup.” He also noted, “Sufficient time has passed to judge that he has betrayed the trust of the public.”