By Kang Hyun-kyung
Hong Joon-pyo, the governor of South Gyeongsang Province, lodged a petition with the Constitutional Court, demanding it review whether the National Assembly’s planned investigation into his decision to close Jinju Medical Center was constitutional.
In the unprecedented petition filed against the Assembly, the conservative governor claimed the investigation was unconstitutional because the provincial government has jurisdiction over the medical center.
The local government requested the court to rule which side has the authority to make the decision on the fate of the center. The court must rule on the case within 60 days after receiving the petition.
During a briefing, Jeong Jang-soo, a public affairs official at South Gyeongsang Province, said the Assembly intruded on the exclusive jurisdiction of the provincial government over the local facility.
Its petition came days before the legislature is to start investigating a decision to shut down the debt-ridden public medical institute.
Earlier, Hong announced the closure of the loss-making medical center. It has 28 billion won in outstanding debt.