South Korea’s acting president to fill Constitutional Court vacancies amid political turmoil

The move by acting President Choi Sang-mok aims to restore stability and prevent a credit rating downgrade, following the impeachment of two predecessors

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South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok. Photo: Yonhap via AP

Published: 5:32pm, 31 Dec 2024Updated: 5:51pm, 31 Dec 2024

South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok said on Tuesday he would immediately move to fill vacancies on the Constitutional Court in an effort to restore stability after the impeachment of two of his predecessors this month triggered political turmoil.

Finance Minister Choi became acting leader on Friday after the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who had been acting president since December 14 when Yoon Suk-yeol was suspended from power after a short-lived attempt to impose martial law on December 3.

Choi said he would appoint two Constitutional Court justices, Jung Gye-seon, and Cho Han-chang immediately, and a third, Ma Eun-hyuk – when ruling and opposition parties can agree on nominating a candidate.

Jung is a former district court head known for advocating marginalised rights and classifying bitcoin as a financial crime, while Cho has more than 20 years of judicial experience and pledged to ensure fair rulings on presidential actions.

“Having succeeded as acting President on December 27, I decided to appoint Constitutional Court justices because of the urgency of ending political uncertainty and social conflict as soon as possible, to stop the possibility of crises in the economy and people’s livelihoods,” Choi said in a Cabinet meeting.

A South Korea flag flutters outside the Constitutional Court building in Seoul. Photo: AFP

Incheon National University Political Science Professor Lee Jun-han described the appointments as a “significant step forward” in addressing the aftermath of the martial law controversy.