Main opposition voices regret over Constitutional Court's decision to dismiss PM's impeachment
Lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, including its leader Lee Jae-myung , sixth from left, shout slogans as they take part in a ceremony at a tent near Gyeongbok Palace of the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty in Seoul to unveil a plaque displaying the Korean name of the tent used as the party's headquarters, March 24. Yonhap
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) expressed regret Monday over the Constitutional Court's decision to dismiss the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and reinstate him as acting president.
The DPK also urged Han to appoint opposition-recommended Constitutional Court Justice candidate Ma Eun-hyuk as the ninth justice at the court as it prepares to deliver a ruling on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
"It is regrettable that the Constitutional Court dismissed the impeachment of Prime Minister Han," DPK floor leader Park Chan-dae said during a supreme council meeting held at a tent set up in Gwanghwamun Square for outdoor rallies.
Park also urged the court to issue a verdict on Yoon's impeachment as early as Tuesday.
The ruling came three months after the National Assembly impeached the prime minister and then acting president over his alleged role in Yoon's Dec. 3 declaration of martial law, among others.
"The court made it clear that it is unconstitutional not to appoint the three Constitutional Court justices recommended by the National Assembly," he added.
Choi Sang-mok, who served as acting president after Han was impeached, appointed two justices to the court in December but held off on the appointment of Ma, citing the need for a bipartisan consensus.
Consent by at least six justices is necessary to uphold Yoon's impeachment, with the suspended president's fate in the hands of the nine-member court. Currently, the court has an eight-member bench. (Yonhap)