Dec. 27, 2024
[Editorial] Acting president's irresponsibility in avoiding appointment of Constitutional Court judges with unrealistic of excuse on 'consensus'
-In 'political disappearance', Han is determined to do nothing when the ruling party opposes-.
Acting President Han Deok-soo said on June 26 that he would “hold off on appointing the three nominees for the National Assembly's share of the Constitutional Court,” including Cho Han-chang and Ma Eun-hyuk, until the ruling and opposition parties submit a consensused proposal. Despite the opposition's impeachment warnings, the Han's government refused to appoint the judges to restore the nine-member Constitutional Court. In response, the Democratic Party of Korea and other opposition parties immediately proposed a proxy impeachment bill and reported it to the plenary session. Earlier, the National Assembly passed a motion to appoint three judges, with opposition lawmakers and four members of the People's Power attending.
Acting President Han's refusal to appoint constitutional judges, citing “ruling party consensus first” in the face of the opposition's impeachment campaign, seems to have gone beyond passive procrastination to active defiance. Han's claim of a ruling and opposition consensus sounds plausible, but such a consensus has long since become an unrealistic hope for Korean politics. It is difficult to understand how Han could not be aware of such political realities, but he puts the blame on the ruling and opposition political parties. It is reminiscent of the behavior of President Yoon Seok-yul, who refused to engage in dialogue and compromise, deferred responsibility to the opposition, and eventually engaged in extreme unconstitutional acts.
The current impeachment situation emphasizes the power of politics. The decision to impeach requires the approval of six constitutional court judges, and it is doubtful that the public would easily accept the decision if even one judge dissented and dismissed the case. Establishing a nine-member Constitutional Court is an urgent task as a measure to normalize the constitutional process to fill the leadership vacuum in Korea.
Of course, the scope of the acting president's authority is controversial. However, there is a prevailing opinion that the appointment of constitutional judges is a mere formality, and that there is nothing wrong with exercising the power of appointment. The majority of experts, the Constitutional Court secretary-general, and the three candidates who have received the National Assembly's consent are of the opinion that there is no reason to reject them. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, former lawmakers Ahn Cheol-soo and Yoo Seung-min, as well as ruling party lawmakers, who are considered the frontrunners for the presidency, were among the few who voted for the appointments.
Nevertheless, Han argued that as a new acting president, he should refrain from exercising the president's inherent powers. However, the acting president has already exercised active powers, such as the right of second reading (veto) of six bills, including the Farm Bill, that were passed by the National Assembly. His refrain from exercising his powers under the excuse of “ruling and opposition consensus,” which is not feasible, is nothing more than an evasion of responsibility and a refusal to do anything that the minority ruling party opposes.
Han has a huge responsibility to fulfill. Han has apologized for his opposition to the December 3 emergency martial law, saying that he “understands the responsibility.” If he is going to apologize for his failure to stop the then-president's outrageous behavior with all his might, he should do so in a way that doesn't drag out the impeachment trial by the Constitutional Court or make it difficult to justify his actions. It is unfortunate that he is walking a tightrope based on one logic or another. The acting president's job now is to discern what he should and shouldn't do by “looking solely to the people,” as he said himself.
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While the above editorial from the far-right Nazi newspaper Dong-A Ilbo also criticizes Han's bizarre and unconstitutional refusal to appoint judges to the Constitutional Court, which is sending the South Korean economy and the country into a downward death spiral, today, December 27, the Democratic Party of Korea and the majority of opposition parties have scheduled a 3 p.m. impeachment vote in the plenary session of the National Assembly for acting President Han Duck-soo on charges of being a principal officer in the rebellion against the country, which goes beyond aiding and abetting the military rebellion.
In response to today's 3 p.m. impeachment vote, the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper wrote that the impeachment of two heads of state in less than two weeks has plunged South Korea into unprecedented political and economic turmoil.
Even these Western Nazi-propaganda media, which not long ago hailed South Korea as a beacon of democracy and a trophy of triumph of democracy, are changing their stance on South Korea. With the current series of events in South Korea that defy common sense, it is likely that the perception of South Korea will change drastically in the future as Western propaganda media begin to realize how deceptive, unstable, and fragile South Korean democracy is, a house of cards. Or, perhaps, against the expectations of all sane people, they will recognize that South Korea is on the verge of reverting to the kind of dictatorships that plagued the Third World in the 70s and 80s.
